Promoting Generalization and Maintenance of Skills Learned via Natural Language Teaching
Journal of Speech-Language Pathology & Applied Behavior Analysis
Peterson, P. (2009).
Journal of Speech-Language Pathology & Applied Behavior Analysis, 4, 90-131.
This systematic review investigates the generalization and maintenance effects of natural language teaching strategies in children with developmental disabilities.
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Published, peer reviewed studies
57
"Generalization effects were found for a variety of participants, including children from low-income families (e.g., Head Start), children with [intellectual disability] ..., children with developmental disabilities, children with language delays, and children with autism" (p. 107).
Findings demonstrated that naturalistic language teaching strategies (e.g., incidental teaching, mand-model, time-delay, and milieu language teaching) appear to be effective means of promoting generalization and maintenance in children with developmental disabilities. Compared to trainer-directed procedures (e.g., discrete trial training), naturalistic strategies resulted in superior generalization of learned skills. Almost all of the studies (94%) that assessed generalization effects indicated generalization. Generalization was noted across settings, activities, persons, and language. Eighty-six percent of the studies that aimed to determine maintenance found maintenance effects.
