Related Experiment Videos
Generalization from school to home with autistic children.
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
|September 1, 1980
Summary
Training autistic boys in varied school settings improved verbal behavior generalization to home environments. Multiple training locations enhanced learning transfer compared to single-setting instruction.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Behavioral Analysis
- Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
Background:
- Investigating generalization of learned verbal behaviors from educational settings to home environments in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
- Expanding on prior research (Handleman, 1979) by examining the impact of single versus multiple trainers on generalization efficacy.
- Utilizing a multiple-baseline design, counterbalanced for treatment conditions, to assess learning transfer.
Observation:
- Three young boys diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder were taught responses to common questions in two distinct school settings.
- Learners were subsequently probed in their home environments to evaluate the transfer of learned skills.
- Performance was compared between training conditions involving single versus varied locations.
Findings:
- All three participants demonstrated significantly greater generalization of verbal behavior to their homes when training occurred in multiple, varied locations.
- Instruction within a single setting resulted in less effective transfer of learned responses compared to varied-location training.
- The study provides empirical support for the positive impact of diverse training environments on skill generalization.
Implications:
- Findings suggest that environmental manipulation within school settings to better simulate home conditions can facilitate the transfer of treatment gains to naturalistic settings.
- Educators and therapists should consider incorporating varied training environments to enhance the generalization of skills for children with ASD.
- This research offers practical strategies for improving the effectiveness of interventions aimed at promoting functional communication in autistic individuals.