Strategies for Promoting Generalization of Social Communication Skills in Preschoolers and School-aged Children

Abstract

Effective social communication interventions achieve 2 outcomes: enhancement of language and social skills and generalization of these skills during authentic interactions with peers. This article describes intervention contexts and strategies for promoting generalization of social communication skills in children with language impairments. Environmental arrangement, teacher-mediated, peer-mediated, and clinician-mediated intervention contexts are reviewed. Evidence-based strategies for promoting generalization in the clinician-mediated context are highlighted. A case study is presented to illustrate how a combination of generalization strategies was used to facilitate a preschooler's social communication skills as he attempted to enter peer group activities in his classroom.