Important skills for elementary school children: Implementing the preschool life skills program in Iceland
A preschool teacher used a slimmed-down PLS package and still boosted life skills while cutting problem behavior.
01Research in Context
What this study did
A preschool teacher in Iceland ran a short version of the Preschool Life Skills program.
The class had neurotypical kids getting ready for elementary school.
The teacher taught instruction following, asking for help, and other life skills during regular class time.
What they found
Most children followed directions better and asked for things instead of acting out.
Problem behavior dropped while the skills went up.
The teacher could run the whole package without extra staff.
How this fits with other research
Moya et al. (2022) looked at 21 studies and found only half of classroom packages need every piece.
The Icelandic results fit that idea: the teacher used an abbreviated PLS and still saw gains.
Noda et al. (2009) also had a teacher run a behavioral package in Japan.
They pushed sitting posture from 20% to 90% with modeling, prompts, and praise.
Both studies show a solo teacher can move big classroom numbers with simple BST steps.
Haring et al. (1988) and Gross et al. (2007) used parents to teach safety skills at home.
Their parent-led BST worked too, proving the model works even when the adult changes.
Why it matters
You can trim the full PLS and still win.
Try the short package first if time is tight.
Train the teacher or assistant once, then let them run it solo.
Track instruction following and problem behavior for a week to see if the lean version is enough.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
AbstractTransition from preschool to elementary school can be difficult, especially for children that have not acquired important life skills. The preschool life skills (PLS) program was developed as a class‐wide program to teach typically developing preschool children important social and communication skills. PLS is an effective method for teaching children social skills as well as reducing problem behavior. However, there is a need to further evaluate the feasibility and generality of the program across different cultural contexts. The aim of this study was to evaluate an abbreviated version of the PLS program in a typical Icelandic preschool, with a preschool teacher as the primary implementer. PLS increased the likelihood of the occurrence of instruction following, functional communication, and decreased problem behavior for most children.
Behavioral Interventions, 2022 · doi:10.1002/bin.1846