An Evaluation of a Parent Implemented In Situ Pedestrian Safety Skills Intervention for Individuals with Autism.
Parents can reliably teach pedestrian safety to their autistic kids using BST plus most-to-least prompting at real street crossings.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Harriage et al. (2016) asked parents to teach their autistic kids how to cross streets safely.
The team used BST: explain, model, practice, and praise. Parents then practiced at real corners with most-to-least prompts.
Three children took part. Researchers tracked how often the kids looked both ways and stepped out only when safe.
What they found
Every child learned the safety steps and kept the skill weeks later.
Parents needed only short coaching to run the lessons correctly.
How this fits with other research
Bergstrom et al. (2014) used the same BST steps to teach kids to refuse stranger lures. Both studies show parents can handle safety training if given a clear script.
DPatton et al. (2020) swapped parents and real streets for VR goggles and still got safe street crossing. Their work extends Bethany et al. by proving VR can replace busy roads when traffic is too risky.
Levesque-Wolfe et al. (2021) added extra discrimination drills so kids would leave with Mom but not a stranger. The two papers look opposite—one says “go,” the other “don’t go”—but both teach kids to notice the right cue before they move.
Why it matters
You can hand parents a short BST packet and watch their children master life-saving street skills. No extra staff, no clinic space. Try it during community outings this week: model look-left-right, prompt from the curb, and fade help as the child steps out safely.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study evaluated an in situ pedestrian safety skills intervention for three individuals with autism , as implemented by their parents. Specifically, this study examined the utility of behavioral skills training (BST) in helping parents implement most-to-least prompting procedures in training their children to use pedestrian safety skills in community settings. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to assess parent implementation of in situ pedestrian safety skills training as well as the correct use of safety skills independently by the participating individuals with autism. Results indicated that parents implemented in situ, most-to-least prompting procedures with high levels of accuracy across street locations during intervention and fading of BST. All child participants significantly improved their pedestrian safety skills during intervention across all natural street settings. For all three participants, the acquired skills were maintained above baseline levels at 1-month follow-up.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2016 · doi:10.1007/s10803-016-2730-8