Response to name in children with autism: Treatment, generalization, and maintenance

Four preschoolers with autism who rarely turned when their name was called got a new plan. The team used toys or snacks as a reward every time the child looked within three seconds.

After the skill was steady, they gave the reward less often. They also tested if the child still turned when new adults, new rooms, or background noise were added.

All four kids hit 80 % correct turns in under 20 sessions. When rewards moved from every try to every third or fifth try, the skill stayed strong.

Each child still turned to their name with grandma, in the hallway, and while music played two weeks later.

Bassett-Gunter et al. (2017) ran a near-copy protocol for eye contact and got the same pattern: praise alone failed, toys worked, and thinning kept the gains. The two studies line up like Lego bricks—different body parts, same build.

Watkins et al. (2019) took the next step. They moved the adult-led name response into peer play where kids used each other’s interests. Both papers show strong generalization, proving the jump from adult to peer context can happen.

Polak-Passy et al. (2024) looks like a clash at first—dog play lowered some kids’ self-started talking. But their target was expressive language, not the quick orienting that Conine taught. Different skill, different measure, no real fight.

If a preschooler with ASD ignores his name, start with a toy he loves, not praise. Once he turns four times in a row, give the toy every other turn, then every third. In two weeks you can cut rewards to random praise and the skill will still stick across people and places.