A social skills training program for preschoolers with developmental delays. Generalization and social validity.
Six weeks of BST lifts prosocial play in delayed preschoolers yet leaves problem behavior untouched.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team ran a six-week social-skills class for preschoolers with developmental delays.
They used modeling, practice, praise, feedback, and brief time-out.
Kids were picked at random for the class or for a wait-list control.
What they found
Prosocial play rose and the gains showed up in new rooms and with new toys.
Problem behaviors stayed flat; the package did not curb them.
How this fits with other research
McMillan et al. (1997) got the same boost in friendly acts, but only after they added extra steps like multiple teachers and natural rewards.
Chandler et al. (1992) warned that most early studies skip these add-ons and then wonder why skills stay in the training room.
Spriggs et al. (2016) later copied the core plan with teens who have ID and saw big, lasting gains, showing the idea scales up.
Why it matters
You can lift friendly play in little ones with a short BST cycle, but do not expect it to cut problem behavior.
If you want the skills to travel, borrow the tricks from E et al.: train with several adults, loose prompts, and real pay-offs.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This investigation was designed to assess a social skills training program with 32 developmentally delayed preschoolers. Subjects were evaluated in an unstructured play session, matched for levels of appropriate and inappropriate social behaviors, and assigned to either a treatment or control condition. The treatment group (N = 16) was presented with a 6-week protocol involving positive reinforcement, modeling, rehearsal, feedback, and time out. Controls (N = 16) received no instruction beyond regular classroom activities during the 6 weeks. The two groups were reevaluated in a posttest session and again in a generalization setting where two peers with developmental delays (not included in either experimental condition) were included. Prosocial behaviors were successfully taught and maintained in generalization settings. Efforts to reduce inappropriate behaviors were less successful. A test of social validity via teachers' ratings of videotapes of pretest and posttest assessments was also conducted. Implications for generalization and social validity research are discussed.
Behavior modification, 1995 · doi:10.1177/01454455950192005