Generalization is the process of teaching a skill or behavior in one setting and having that skill or behavior transfer to another setting. In most children, this happens naturally and does not need to be taught. With children with autism, this does not always happen naturally.
For example, if a child is taught to measure a cup of flour at home, the child can naturally measure a cup of flour at school. If a child is taught to sit with quiet hands at school while the teacher is talking, the child can sit in church with quiet hands.
A child is able to generalize when they are able to work with a variety of people, in a variety of therapy as well as natural settings, with a variety of stimuli (using different materials), and produce the same responses in different ways (count to ten with blocks, on their fingers, on pater, etc).
When working with a child that doesn't generalize naturally, it is important to teach the new skill in a therapeutic setting. The new skills must then be taught in other settings. The skill can be taught in another classroom, in the hallway, with other children present, outside, etc. By using multiple settings, the skill can be generalized to
It is important to use formal and informal settings, as the more informal setting occur more naturally. Reinforce the new skill as often as possible to increase the rate of learning. It is also important to move from continuous reinforcement to intermittent reinforcement, as this is a more natural reinforcement rate and actually increases the rate of the behavior. Just as in Vegas, they reinforce intermittently and get a higher rate of behavior, so you will, too.
If it is possible, have other people teach the skill. This helps the child learn from other people and to generalize to take instruction from other people. This can be another aid, the parents, peers, etc.
Once the skill has been taught in a therapy setting, take the child to more natural settings, such as the lunch room, the playground, the hallways, etc.
Vary the language: For example, if you are teaching shapes, say, 'show me a square' the next time you could say, 'where is a square?' the next time, take him around the room, and ask, 'do you see a square?'
Vary the materials: have the child count blocks, puzzle pieces, numbers on a paper, door handles, etc.
No comments:
Post a Comment