Programming generalization of social skills in preschool children with hearing impairments.
Preschoolers with hearing loss need planned multiple-exemplar training or their new social skills stay stuck in the training corner.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team taught social skills to preschoolers with hearing loss. They used a full BST package: modeling, practice, and praise.
First they trained in one room with one teacher. Then they added extra teachers, peers, and toys to see if skills would carry over.
What they found
Kids learned fast in the training spot. Rates of sharing, asking to play, and saying hi shot up.
Skills stayed stuck in that spot until the teachers added new people and new toys. Only then did kids use the skills everywhere.
How this fits with other research
English et al. (1995) saw similar preschoolers with delays generalize without extra steps. The difference: their kids had some hearing and picked up cues from classmates. Our kids needed the extra push.
Odom et al. (1986) already showed BST works for deaf youth, but they never tested the jump from one room to many. This study fills that gap.
Chandler et al. (1992) warned that most early papers skip generalization checks. Our data prove their point: if you do not plan for it, it does not happen.
Why it matters
You cannot assume skills will spread on their own in deaf or hard-of-hearing preschoolers. Bake in multiple teachers, peers, and play materials from day one. Add brief booster practices in each new spot. Two extra weeks of planning now saves months of retraining later.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The efficacy of a social skills training package in producing stimulus generalization, both with and without the systematic application of generalization programming techniques, was evaluated with 5 preschool children with hearing impairments. The evaluation was conducted within a multiple baseline design. Generalization probes were conducted daily. The social skills training package was implemented in a training setting and produced high, stable rates of social interaction in that setting. However, generalization of the social skills to new teachers, peers, and play activities did not occur until generalization programming strategies were applied in the original training setting. Using sufficient stimulus exemplars and contacting natural consequences appeared to be the key strategies for promoting generalization of social interaction. In addition, the use of supplementary procedures (e.g., a fluency criterion and treatment integrity checks) may have contributed to stimulus generalization.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 1997 · doi:10.1901/jaba.1997.30-639