Re: Re: Generalizing skills

[Guest guest]

I think not having generalizing as part of the program is simply the sign of a poorly designed program and not a problem with ABA itself. I've never seen or heard of a program that didn't involve generalizing unless it was a school trying to save bucks by not implementing a full program.

Roxanna

May those who love us, love us

And those who don't love us,

May God turn their hearts

And if he can't turn their hearts,

May he turn their ankles

So we will know them by their limping!

( ) Re: Generalizing skills

, in truth, not all ABA or Behavior Mod programs are created equally and have set goals for a child to generalize skills learned in every apsect of one's life. School-based and home-based programs that lack a social/community service component fall short in helping the child go out into the world and applying what one has learned in a general way. What you end up with are children who know how to do a specific task/goal in the environment in which they learned. This has been the major criticism of operant condition is that one is conditioned in a specific environment. But, things are changing.

The company that we used for ABA was highly skilled in this area. I'll give you an example.

My son at age 3 could not sit in a chair. Simply put, he couldn't do it. He had a lot of sensory issues and behavior/brain issues as well. His ABA provider worte multiple programs over the course of a year and we worked with him long and hard on sitting and once he achieved this at home and at school, the next step was to generalize that skill -- totake him to restaurants, movies, other people's houses, the library and work in those environments for him to achieve the same results. And, I have to tell you...sitting in a chair at home in a controlled environment was a lot different than sitting in one where he had to process the environment. My son would just rip! I mean, I personally worked side-by-side with his aides until we could get him under control.

But, after several years of this, he can do it! He can generalize. It did not happen overnight. But, today, he can go anywhere, any place at anytime and sit like a typical-developing child. He can go into a 4-star restaurant or see the ballet. It took a couple years of training, but that's how he was able to generalize that one skill into the real world...into life. Without that training he probably would not be mainstreamed today because there was no way he could sit in a chair.

He also gets Social Skills Training and I think this is one of the most imporant programs for Aspergers/autistics to have when they're young. I think that skills gained young will help our children go out there into the world one day and sit at a board table and be able to throw down with the best of them, make eye contact, understand other's perspectives and not miss a beat. I really support Social Skills Programs because I have heard from many, many adult Aspies who say that this is the one area that has kept them unemployed and not living life to their fullest potential. Social Skills Programs are a great way to take our kids out into the community and work on how to relate to others and conduct themselves.

Does that help? Let me know. And, forgive the typos.

Thanks!

>

> Can anyone describe to me how this works?

> If my son works with an ABA therapist or attends social skills sessions, how do they get what is learned to carry over to different environments, like school?

> He did attend social skills groups last summer, and none of it was generalized to anywhere else...

> Thanks

> TJ

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