The generalization of behavior modification procedures: A review-with special emphasis on classroom applications

Planning School Transitions: Family and Professional Collaboration

The following paper addresses some of the key issues involved in planning transitions for young handicapped children who are moving from special education preschool programs to mainstreamed kindergarten placements. The roles of the child, family, sending and receiving teachers, and educational agencies are discussed. Activities to encourage successful transitions and to support collaborative planning efforts are suggested.

Assessment of Skill Generalization

Assessment of skill generalization was conducted within a large-scale public school behavioral treatment program for disruptive and academically deficient adolescents. Generalization was measured both within and between subjects. The results indicated that improved academic skills of the treatment group transferred across settings to nontreatment classes. Analyses of individual behavior programs indicated a transfer of skills across time for specific behaviors as well as across behavior which was not the focus of the specific behavioral program. Generalization of the latter types occurred with minimal programming.

Facilitating generalization of on-task behavior through self-monitoring of academic tasks

This study (1) examined whether a self-monitoring procedure taught in a laboratory setting would increase independent on-task behavior there and would generalize without further teaching to a classroom setting, and (2) analyzed the durability of the training effects over the course of 5 months for one subject and 10 months for two other subjects. Two multiple-baseline designs, one across three normal and the other across three deviant children, showed that self-monitoring of academic task-completions facilitated on-task responding for all subjects in the generalization (classroom) setting. A subsequent reversal design showed that these effects were durable, in two of the three subjects still available, at least as much as 1 year after commencement of training. This latter design also suggested that one subject who was not maintained by self-monitoring could be supported in on-task behavior by a peer who was maintained by self-monitoring.

An indirect method for increasing the rate of social interaction in an autistic child

The treatment of a 9-year-old autistic boy who manifested a low rate of social interaction with his parents and older sister is described. Previous attempts to persuade the parents to devote more time to interacting with the child had failed. The parents then were instructed to give the child training in handwriting. A dramatic improvement in the S's ability to reproduce the alphabet was observed. More importantly, a great increase in the rate of interaction between the child and the members of his family was documented. The percent of 10-second intervals in which the S spoke to his family or they spoke to him jumped from 19% during baseline to 89% during the intervention phase. Post-intervention rates of interaction continued to be higher than during baseline.