Research summaries for autism therapy: generalization

definition of generalization: When a child learns a new skill and is able to perform that skill not just in front of the therapist, but in many different settings. For example, a child can learn to initiate conversation with a therapist and that is considered an accomplishment. A more wonderful accomplishment, however, is when the child is able to generalize the behavior and initiate conversation with his classmates at school. Other similar terms include generalizable and generalize.
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Generalization of Tacting Actions in Children with Autism, Summarized Dec 27, 2006

Older children with autism (9 years old) can be taught to speak spontaneously using Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA). This study was designed to improve ABA so that it is most effective at teaching children with autism to speak spontaneously. The study included six children who were mostly nonverbal. The therapists used ABA to teach the children to state what another child was doing. Some of the children needed to be asked by the therapist to state the action, whereas others learned to state the action spontaneously. Unfortunately, the study was limited to two actions: playing ball, and sleeping. Read more...

Teaching Reciprocal Imitation Skills to Young Children with Autism Using a Naturalistic Behavioral Approach: Effects on Language, Pretend Play, and Joint Attention, Summarized Nov 19, 2006

Naturalistic behavior intervention can teach children with autism to imitate the behavior of people around them.

Reciprocal imitation training (RIT) is a naturalistic behavioral intervention that involves spontaneously interacting with the child and teaching the child through natural reinforcements. While the study included only five children, all five children did show an improved ability to imitate action with an object after 10 weeks of RIT. In addition, all children were able to generalize this imitation without reinforcement. The authors also found improvements in the childrenâ??s language ability. The authors concluded by suggesting that RIT can easily be included in any early intervention program.
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Focused Stimulation for a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Treatment Study, Summarized Nov 15, 2006

Focused stimulation can be effective for children who do not enjoy adult-directed therapies and for children with strong IQ and expressive language skills, but weak language comprehension skills.... The parents reported that the child also could apply the new skill to language targets he had not practiced (generalization).... Read more...

Intensive Behavioral/Psychoeducational Treatments for Autism: Research Needs and Future Directions, Summarized Oct 19, 2006

This article gives an overview of several factors that affect the success of the applied behavior analysis (ABA) approach to treating autism.... These improvements generalize better when parents are trained in ABA and when the environment in which children are trained is as close to everyday life as possible. What is not known is: how to develop treatment programs tailored to each child; what affects the likelihood that ABA treatment will help a child improve; and how to apply these principles to older children with autism.... Read more...

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Synonyms for generalization include: generalize
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