Teaching Preschool Children with Disabilities to Respond to the Lures of Strangers

Abstract

An investigation was conducted to determine the effectiveness of a constant-time-delay procedure used in combination with multiple exemplars of strangers, lures, and sites to teach a generalized response to the lures of strangers to four preschool children with disabilities. Although the correct response was quickly acquired in the training site, the response failed to generalize to the probe sites until training was conducted in vivo. Instruction in vivo resulted in acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of the response to strangers' lures. Generalization occurred across probes with novel exemplars of lures, strangers, and sites.

Teaching Young Adults With Disabilities to Respond Appropriately to Lures From Strangers

“…First, as in prior studies, it was difficult to recruit strangers of different ages and ethnicities; the majority of available students in the special education program were young Caucasian women (Gast et al, 1993). Second, parents and trainers faced logistical challenges in scheduling locations and opportunities for in situ assessments (e.g., Tim did not receive in situ assessments during classroom BST).…”

“…In situ training, however, improved generalization and maintenance (e.g., Gast, Collins, Wolery, & Jones, 1993; Gunby, Carr, & LeBlanc, 2010). Although in situ training and assessments are necessary to promote and assess generalization, they are contrived.…”

Evaluation of Video Modeling and In Situ Training to Teach Firearm Avoidance Skills to Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…Gunby et al (2010) used BST and IST to teach abduction-prevention skills to three children with autism. Other researchers have taught children with developmental disabilities skills to avoid stranger abduction (Gast et al 1993), skills to seek assistance when lost (Taylor et al 2004), and pedestrian skills (Batu et al 2004). Godish et al (2017) evaluated the effectiveness of video modeling to teach abduction-prevention skills to children with ASD.…”

The Effects of Embedded Skill Instruction on the Acquisition of Target and Nontarget Skills in Preschoolers with Developmental Delays

“…CTD has been shown to be both effective and efficient in teaching students of various ages and with various disabilities. For example, it has been used successfully to teach word definitions to 10-year-old students with severe learning disorders (Schuster, Stevens, & Doak, 1990), sight words to students ages 10 to 11 years with moderate mental retardation (Schuster, Griffen, & Wolery, 1992), sight words to 4-to 5-year-old preschoolers with moderate delays (Alig-Cybriwsky, , and response to the lures of strangers to preschool children ages 3 to 5 years with developmental delays (Gast, Collins, Wolery, & Jones, 1993).…”