Sibling self-management: Programming for generalization to improve interactions between typically developing siblings...

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Behavioral Science
• Autism Spectrum Disorder Research

Background:

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) impacts families, necessitating interventions that support all members.
• Typically developing (TD) siblings of children with ASD can benefit from targeted social-communicative and self-management skill development.
• Generalization of learned skills across settings and time is crucial for intervention efficacy in ASD-related research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To teach TD siblings of children with ASD social-communicative and self-management skills.
• To investigate whether self-management acquisition supports the generalization of social-communicative responses in TD siblings.
• To evaluate the social validity of the intervention outcomes by comparing TD siblings' social-communicative responses to their peers.

Main Methods:

• A multiple baseline probe design was employed across sibling dyads to minimize unnecessary intervention exposure.
• Four TD siblings received training in self-management of a social skills curriculum.
• Behavioral skills training, including instruction, modeling, practice, and feedback, was utilized.

Main Results:

• TD siblings demonstrated acquisition of self-management skills for the social skills curriculum.
• Some generalization of learned skills was observed across novel settings and over time.
• Intervention outcomes showed social validity when compared to the social-communicative responses of typical peers.

Conclusions:

• Self-management training is effective for TD siblings of children with ASD.
• Explicit programming for generalization is essential for successful skill transfer in this population.
• Including TD siblings in interventions for their siblings with ASD, with a focus on self-management and generalization, is a valuable strategy.