Using modeling and rehearsal to teach fire safety to children with autism

Garcia et al. (2016) tested if young children with autism could learn to leave a building when the fire alarm rings. They used a simple BST package: model the steps, let the child rehearse, and give praise. The study ran a multiple baseline across kids so each child served as their own control.

Every child learned the full evacuation chain: stop the activity, walk to the exit, go outside, and find an adult. The skills lasted five weeks later and showed up in new places like stores and libraries.

Tucker et al. (2021) copied the same BST steps to teach water-safety skills like floating and reaching for the wall. Both studies show one small package works for different dangers.

Mountjoy et al. (1984) did fire-safety training first, but with blind teens in groups. Garcia moved the idea to preschoolers with autism and kept the one-on-one format. The old and new results line up: rehearsal plus praise gets kids out safely.

Hood et al. (2017) used BST plus quick corrective feedback to teach greetings. They got strong gains, just like Garcia, but in social skills instead of safety. The pattern says BST is flexible; you pick the skill, not a new method.

You can teach life-saving skills in one or two short sessions. No extra gear is needed—just you, the child, and praise. Try it next time you cover fire drills or any safety skill.