Have you ever noticed that your child can do something in one setting, like at school, but not in other settings, like at home? Or they’ll show off a new skill for you, but not for anyone else? This is very common. It doesn’t mean they don’t know the skill, but rather that they haven’t learned to generalize it.
What is Generalization?
Generalization is the process of taking a skill learned in one situation and applying it across people, places, and contexts. It’s what allows a skill to be used in real-life situations where it matters most.
For example, if your child’s ABA team teaches them to request using an AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) device during therapy sessions, generalization occurs when they can use that same skill to make requests at home and in other everyday situations.
Generalization can occur in different ways, including:
- Across settings: Your child can use a learned skill in different places, like the therapy center, school, home, or out in the community.
- Across people: Skills can transfer to different individuals, like therapists, parents, siblings, and peers.
- Across materials or situations: Your child can demonstrate a skill using a variety of stimuli. For example, they might identify a dog in a stuffed animal, in a picture book, and in real life.
- Across time: Also known as maintenance, this refers to your child’s ability to continue using a skill over time after it’s been mastered.
Why Does Generalization Matter?
Generalization is necessary for making skills stick long-term and in the situations where they matter most. Learning a new skill under any context is exciting, but without generalization, it may stay isolated to a single situation that doesn’t make for real-world application or meaningful use.
How Can Caregivers Promote Generalization?
There are several ABA strategies that parents and caregivers can use to promote generalization outside of therapy. Here are some practical tips.
- Collaborate with your BCBA: Above all, stay in close contact with your BCBA. Make sure you understand the skills your child is currently learning and discuss individualized strategies for transferring them to the home. You should have ample opportunities to discuss questions, concerns, and learn methods during caregiver training.
- Practice skills in different settings: Help solidify new skills by practicing them in different environments.
- Vary teaching materials: When teaching a new skill, try using different examples so your child experiences it in multiple ways. For example, if they’re learning to identify colors, practice with crayons, clothing, toys, and other objects around your house.
- Involve different people: Encourage your child to practice skills with family members, peers, and teachers.
- Use natural reinforcement: Reinforce skills in ways that make sense in everyday life, rather than relying on contrived ones. This means the reinforcer naturally comes after a particular behavior.
Helping Your Child Succeed Beyond the Therapy Room
When generalization is prioritized, the skills your child is learning don’t just stay at the therapy clinic or school. They become part of everyday life. That’s when progress becomes truly meaningful. Caregivers play an important role in this process. By practicing the skills your child is learning across environments, people, and stimuli, you help bridge the gap between learning and real-life application.
If you’re not sure how best to support your child in generalizing skills, talk to your therapy team. They’re there to guide you every step of the way.