An evaluation of the generalization and maintenance of functional communication and self-control skills with preschoolers.

Leung et al. (2014) ran Preschool Life Skills lessons with 12 typical preschoolers. They taught four social skills: asking for a toy, asking to play, saying "excuse me," and saying "thank you."

Kids got small-group lessons twice a week. Teachers then got a one-page sheet that listed each skill and the exact praise they should give. The team watched if skills showed up during free play and checked again three months later.

Skills stayed in the lesson circle until teachers knew the plan. Once teachers were briefed, every child used the skills during free play. Most kids still had the skills three months later.

Without the teacher briefing, generalization was zero. The sheet made the difference.

Emmelkamp et al. (1986) saw only weak, delayed generalization in adults with ID. The new study shows the opposite: preschoolers generalize fast when teachers are told what to look for. The gap is about age and setting, not a flaw in either paper.

Syriopoulou-Delli et al. (2012) stretched peer-initiation work into elementary recess. C et al. bring the same idea back to preschool but swap peer coaches for briefed teachers. Together they form a ladder: peer cues help older kids, teacher cues help younger ones.

Alkahtani et al. (2026) later ran a teacher-led SEL class and also saw medium social gains. The match tells us the brief-and-praise method works across two different preschool curricula.

You no longer have to guess why social skills stall after training. Hand the teacher a simple sheet: skill name, what it looks like, and how to praise it. Do this before you fade your presence. The skill will travel to free play and has a good shot at lasting the term.