Improving accepting and giving compliments with individuals with developmental disabilities

Hood and team worked with three teens who had autism or other developmental delays.

The goal was simple: teach them to give and take compliments during real talk.

They used behavioral skills training: explain, show, practice, and give feedback.

Extra prompts were added during practice until the teens could do it alone.

A multiple-baseline design showed that each teen started the lessons at different times.

All three teens learned to hand out and accept compliments quickly.

The skills stuck when new adults joined the room, showing real-world use.

No one lost the skill after the sessions ended.

Villante et al. (2021) used the same BST recipe with adults on the job.

They swapped compliments for workplace problem solving and still saw gains.

That link shows BST can travel from teen social talk to adult vocational life.

Sarber et al. (1983) also used BST plus prompts in a multiple baseline, but taught grocery planning instead of compliments.

The matching design and positive results across studies build a sturdy bridge: BST works for many life skills.

You already know BST is solid for compliance or chores. Hood et al. (2020) proves it also fits polite chat. If your client can greet but stalls at praise, run a quick BST loop: model a compliment, let the learner try, give instant feedback, then fade prompts. Practice with new faces so the skill travels. You may see fuller friendships and warmer community ties in a week or two.