Evaluation of a sexual abuse prevention program for adults with mental retardation.

Six women with intellectual disability joined a sexual abuse prevention class. Trainers used role-play, pictures, and simple rules to teach how to say no, leave, and tell a trusted adult.

After each lesson, staff tested the women in the training room. They also ran surprise tests later in real places like the dorm kitchen or a busy hallway.

Every woman learned the safety steps in class. Scores hit the passing mark during role-play.

When staff tested the same skills in real-life spots, no one reached the passing mark. Skills stayed in the classroom.

Laugeson et al. (2014) saw the same drop-off. Men with ID learned relapse-prevention skills, yet performance fell when new staff or community adults entered the room.

Wacker et al. (2009) looked at every published program like this and found only four. The review warns that most plans stop at the classroom door, just like the 1998 data.

Whitehouse et al. (2014) adds a twist. Their adults with autism showed low sexual knowledge and high victimization rates. The finding does not clash with Farrant et al. (1998); it simply shows what can happen when generalization fails.

You can copy the teaching steps, but do not stop at the clinic door. Add practice with unfamiliar staff, noisy hallways, and community outings. Track generalization trials the same way you track acquisition. If the skill only lives in your room, the learner remains at risk.