Social-Communication Intervention for Children with Autism: Generalization and Collateral Changes matters because it changes what a BCBA notices when decisions have to hold up in language assessment, teaching sessions, caregiver coaching, and natural communication routines. In Social-Communication Intervention for Children with Autism: Generalization and Collateral Changes, for this course, the practical stakes show up in clearer case conceptualization, better instructional targets, and stronger generalization, not in abstract discussion alone.
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Join Free →Shifting gaze from an object to someone's eyes, a critical component of social-communication skills, is significantly impaired in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This impairment affects early social-communication skills such as requesting and joint attention. Previous research has demonstrated collateral benefits associated with teaching gaze shifting within these contexts. This study aims to replicate and extend the findings of Krstovska-Guerrero and Jones (2016) and Muzammal and Jones (2017), proposing that teaching the gaze-shift response in the context of two pivotal responses—requesting and joint attention—will result in generalization to a broader range of social-communicative contexts. Using a multiple baseline design across responses, we evaluated the effectiveness of prompting and reinforcement to teach the gaze-shift response to three toddlers with ASD. The results indicated that the gaze-shift response generalized to various social-communicative contexts, different people, and other responses such as smiling, pointing, vocalizing, and imitating. Additionally, we observed collateral changes on standardized measures, such as the Childhood Autism Rating Scale™ 2nd Edition and the Pervasive Developmental Disorder Behavior Inventory, following the intervention. This study highlights the potential of targeted gaze-shift interventions to enhance broader social-communication skills and underscores the importance of generalization in social-communicative contexts for children with ASD. Funding Information: This research was supported by the Organization for Autism Research, Graduate Research Grant Competition. Awarded in May 2015.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 1.5 | General |
Dr. Fiani has been applying learning principles to improve socially significant behaviors of children with developmental disabilities for over 10 years. She received a Master of Psychology with an ABA specialization from Queens College (2017) and a Ph.D. in Psychology, Behavior Analysis Training Area from The Graduate Center, City University of New York (2020) under the supervision of Dr. Jessel. Dr. Fiani has been working for FTF Behavioral Consulting since 2020 as a postdoc and since 2021 as a lead consultant and director of technology. She has completed research in social-communication skills and behavioral interventions for individuals with developmental disabilities, specifically focusing on their behavioral phenotypes and problem behavior, specializing in PFA/SBT. Dr. Fiani has worked in both outpatient clinics and home-based services for children with autism. She has also taught undergraduate and graduate-level courses. Her research, teaching, and clinical experience have given her a deeper appreciation for exploring safer and more practical interventions to teach social communication skills and reduce problem behaviors.
Dig into the research behind this topic — plain-English summaries written for BCBAs.
280 research articles with practitioner takeaways
279 research articles with practitioner takeaways
258 research articles with practitioner takeaways
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All behavior-analytic intervention is individualized. The information on this page is for educational purposes and does not constitute clinical advice. Treatment decisions should be informed by the best available published research, individualized assessment, and obtained with the informed consent of the client or their legal guardian. Behavior analysts are responsible for practicing within the boundaries of their competence and adhering to the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts.