Research on generalization

[Guest guest]

I'm getting some negative attitudes about ABA from our autism

specialist at school. Quote, " Because of all the ABA training he's

had, he only responds to us when we say things a certain way. " For

example, he will respond to " sit down " but maybe not " take a seat. " My

question is, isn't that just part of autism? I specifically mean a

difficulty generalizing language and other skills? I guess this is a

common criticism of ABA but any suggestions on how to respond to this

teacher? In my view, he wouldn't even be responding to " sit down "

without ABA. The teacher readily admits he's one of the best behaved

kids in her class. Also, does anyone know of any research that shows

that lack of generalization really is or isn't a problem with DTT?

[Guest guest]

I believe you are correct in your line of thought that the student would not

even be able to follow the direction " sit down " if it were not for ABA.

However, there is a significant amount of research on generalization and how

to teach in a way that promotes generalization. Unfortunately, many ABA

programs do not use that information to program for generalization. So

while generalization continues to be an issue, it is not a reason to NOT use

ABA. Instead its a reason for ABA to get better at generalization :0) At

Potential, Inc., we will be offering workshops on generalization and other

issues in the near future.

Some technical terms for those who look up research: general case

programming, teaching loosely, multiple exemplars

e Quinby

<http://www.potentialinc.org/> Where everyone can

<http://www.autismbehaviorconsut.com/> learn

e Quinby, M.Ed., BCBA

Executive Director Potential, Inc.

638 Newtown Yardley Road

<http://maps./py/maps.py?Pyt=Tmap & addr=638+Newtown+Yardley+Road & csz

=Newtown%2C+PA+18940 & country=us>

Commons West, Suite 1F

Newtown, PA 18940

kquinby@...

www.potentialinc.org <http://www.potentialinc.org/>

tel:

tel2:

fax: 888-AUTISM-0

215-579-0670

215-766-3832

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[ ] Research on generalization

I'm getting some negative attitudes about ABA from our autism

specialist at school. Quote, " Because of all the ABA training he's

had, he only responds to us when we say things a certain way. " For

example, he will respond to " sit down " but maybe not " take a seat. " My

question is, isn't that just part of autism? I specifically mean a

difficulty generalizing language and other skills? I guess this is a

common criticism of ABA but any suggestions on how to respond to this

teacher? In my view, he wouldn't even be responding to " sit down "

without ABA. The teacher readily admits he's one of the best behaved

kids in her class. Also, does anyone know of any research that shows

that lack of generalization really is or isn't a problem with DTT?

[Guest guest]

I believe you are correct in your line of thought that the student would not

even be able to follow the direction " sit down " if it were not for ABA.

However, there is a significant amount of research on generalization and how

to teach in a way that promotes generalization. Unfortunately, many ABA

programs do not use that information to program for generalization. So

while generalization continues to be an issue, it is not a reason to NOT use

ABA. Instead its a reason for ABA to get better at generalization :0) At

Potential, Inc., we will be offering workshops on generalization and other

issues in the near future.

Some technical terms for those who look up research: general case

programming, teaching loosely, multiple exemplars

e Quinby

<http://www.potentialinc.org/> Where everyone can

<http://www.autismbehaviorconsut.com/> learn

e Quinby, M.Ed., BCBA

Executive Director Potential, Inc.

638 Newtown Yardley Road

<http://maps./py/maps.py?Pyt=Tmap & addr=638+Newtown+Yardley+Road & csz

=Newtown%2C+PA+18940 & country=us>

Commons West, Suite 1F

Newtown, PA 18940

kquinby@...

www.potentialinc.org <http://www.potentialinc.org/>

tel:

tel2:

fax: 888-AUTISM-0

215-579-0670

215-766-3832

<https://www.plaxo.com/add_me?u=8589960430 & v0=50595 & k0=1679972177> Add me

to your address book... <http://www.plaxo.com/signature> Want a signature

like this?

[ ] Research on generalization

I'm getting some negative attitudes about ABA from our autism

specialist at school. Quote, " Because of all the ABA training he's

had, he only responds to us when we say things a certain way. " For

example, he will respond to " sit down " but maybe not " take a seat. " My

question is, isn't that just part of autism? I specifically mean a

difficulty generalizing language and other skills? I guess this is a

common criticism of ABA but any suggestions on how to respond to this

teacher? In my view, he wouldn't even be responding to " sit down "

without ABA. The teacher readily admits he's one of the best behaved

kids in her class. Also, does anyone know of any research that shows

that lack of generalization really is or isn't a problem with DTT?

[Guest guest]

Of course you are absolutely correct that is part of the autism. While we

do everything we can to focus on generalization, it's really difficult for

these kids. When a typically developing child first understands what a parent

means when they say, " sit down, " they don't immediately grasp that, " have a

seat, " " pull up a chair, " or " take your seat " means the same thing. Eventually

they understand that those different phrases are basically the same through

language and interaction. Obviously that is not what works for most kids with

autism. We have to teach each of these skills. Nothing comes easy for

these guys. While I don't know your son, I would have to agree that he might

not even have, " sit down, " without ABA. If it is causing a problem in the

classroom environment, which it doesn't really sound like it is, then I would

say they have found what they should be working with your son.

I am so sorry that you are having to deal with negative attitudes. The one

thing I have learned in the last year is that no two children effected by

autism learn exactly the same way or at the same pace. Is there something that

the autism specialist thinks would have been more appropriate for your son?

Best regards,

Amber

___________________________

Amber D. Langford

ABA/VB Therapist, Brick, NJ

AmberDLangford@...

[Guest guest]

I don't know about any research but couldn't you instruct on the different ways

people say things; for instance, my son would never pay attention to the

teacher...he always had to be called on by name. We had to teach him to respond

to different phrases that the teacher used to get the class's attention, such

as: " Everybody, Class, Boys and Girls, " etc...Perhaps you could suggest they

teach this in isolation and then provide the teacher with an index ring card so

she would be sure to use the phrases during the day. Just a though... R.

[Guest guest]

I don't know about any research but couldn't you instruct on the different ways

people say things; for instance, my son would never pay attention to the

teacher...he always had to be called on by name. We had to teach him to respond

to different phrases that the teacher used to get the class's attention, such

as: " Everybody, Class, Boys and Girls, " etc...Perhaps you could suggest they

teach this in isolation and then provide the teacher with an index ring card so

she would be sure to use the phrases during the day. Just a though... R.

[Guest guest]

This might be more an issue of whether or not he is being " trained loosely. "

Some suggestions from , Heron and Heward's Applied Behavior Analysis (page

577):

use 2 or more teachers

teach in 2 or more places

teach from a variety of positions

vary your tone of voice

vary your choice of words

show the stimuli from a variety of angles, using sometimes one hand and

sometimes the other

have other persons present sometimes and not other times

dress quite differently on different days

vary the reinforcers

teach sometimes in bright light, sometimes in dim light

teach sometimes in noisy settings, sometimes in quiet ones

in any setting, vary the decorations, vary the furniture, and vary their

locations

vary the times of day when you and everyone else teach

vary the temperature in the teaching settings

vary the smells in the teaching settings

within the limits possible vary the content of what's being taught

do all of this as often and as unpredictable as possible

[Guest guest]

This might be more an issue of whether or not he is being " trained loosely. "

Some suggestions from , Heron and Heward's Applied Behavior Analysis (page

577):

use 2 or more teachers

teach in 2 or more places

teach from a variety of positions

vary your tone of voice

vary your choice of words

show the stimuli from a variety of angles, using sometimes one hand and

sometimes the other

have other persons present sometimes and not other times

dress quite differently on different days

vary the reinforcers

teach sometimes in bright light, sometimes in dim light

teach sometimes in noisy settings, sometimes in quiet ones

in any setting, vary the decorations, vary the furniture, and vary their

locations

vary the times of day when you and everyone else teach

vary the temperature in the teaching settings

vary the smells in the teaching settings

within the limits possible vary the content of what's being taught

do all of this as often and as unpredictable as possible

[Guest guest]

Check out:

Osnes & Lieblein: (2003) An Explicit Technology of

Generalization- The Behavior Analyst Today, 3 (4), 364

www.behavior-analyst-online.org