An Evaluation of Behavioral Skills Training for Teaching Caregivers How to Support Social Skill Development in Their Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Hassan et al. (2018) taught parents of children with autism how to run social-skills lessons at home.

The team used Behavioral Skills Training: explain, model, practice, and feedback.

Parents first mastered the steps in a clinic room. The study then added in-situ training—coaching during real meals and play—to see if skills would transfer.

Every parent hit mastery during clinic BST. Still, they did not use the skills at home until the trainer coached them in their living room or kitchen.

Only after that real-life coaching did the parents’ social-skills teaching stick, and child social behaviors rose.

Dogan et al. (2017) showed that brief BST alone can turn parents into solid social-skills trainers. Mahfuz adds a warning: without in-situ coaching, those shiny clinic skills may stay locked in the clinic.

Falligant et al. (2025) repeated the pattern with preschool staff. Group BST plus brief in-situ feedback was needed before teachers used incidental teaching on the floor.

McMillan et al. (1997) saw the same leak with deaf preschoolers. Social skills trained in one room vanished in new rooms until the team added multiple people, places, and reinforcers. Together, the four studies form a clear rule: BST creates accuracy, but generalization needs extra layers—either in-situ coaching or built-in multiple exemplars.

If you train caregivers, plan for two phases. First, use BST until they nail the steps in your office. Then go to their home, park, or diner and coach in the real place. Budget that second trip up front; without it, you may see perfect role-play but zero real-world change.