Why can my child do something at home but not at school? A guide to generalisation

Parents and teachers often ask us why an autistic child can use skills at home but not at school (or vice versa). The answer is often generalisation – whether a child can take a skill they have learned and use it in new places and with new people.

What is generalisation?

Generalisation means that the learner can use the skills they have learned with different people across a variety of situations and environments that are relevant and meaningful to them.

It shouldn’t be assumed or expected for generalisation to happen automatically – it has to be built into how a skill is taught from the outset.

For example, if a learner has been taught to self-advocate by asking to take a break at home, it is important that they are also taught to do this with different people at school and in their community, so that they feel comfortable asking.

Why is generalisation of skills important?

When agreeing what skills to teach, it is important to consider the different forms each skill can take and the places and situations in which it might be used.

A skill taught in one very specific situation is much less useful if the learner then cannot flexibly apply it across the settings that are relevant and important to them.

That’s where generalised skills come in. They:

• help the learner to be as independent as possible, without having to rely on reminders or help from specific people and resources
• tend to be easier to keep up over time, because they are meaningful to the learner and have been successfully used across many situations

How do you promote generalisation?

Generalisation should be a key part of any teaching programme. For this to happen, it requires careful planning.

Generalisation can be supported by:

• Involving multiple people. Parents, siblings, teachers, and other community members should aim to teach the skill in the same way.
• Teaching in multiple settings. For example, different rooms of the learner’s home, at school, and out in the community.
• Varying materials and examples. For instance, deliberately teach a range of cups when teaching a child to identify “cup”.
• Using naturally occurring reinforcement when possible. For example, praise (such as saying “well done”, a high five or a smile) and giving out house points.
• Teaching using a variety of language, when possible. For example, “line up”, “join the line” and “make a line”.
• Including formal practice in context. If a learner has learned a specific “turn-taking” game at home with parents, they could work on playing the same game with siblings and then peers at school.
• Teaching a variety of ways a learner can respond, when possible. When greeting someone, this could be waving, saying “hi” or saying “hello”.
• Using the resources the learner will be exposed to across different settings. For example, choice boards, visual timetables and school resources.
• Monitoring progress. Checking that the skill is transferring to other situations and places.

For more information on generalisation, or to hear more about our support packages, contact our team on:

[email protected] or 01344 882248

 

Photo by Alan Aprilio on Unsplash