A Systematic Review of Generalization and Maintenance Outcomes of Social Skills Intervention for Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Generalization and maintenance of intervention outcomes are of paramount importance in achieving socially significant outcomes within applied behavior analysis. Social skills interventions for young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are widely represented within the empirical literature; however, generalization and maintenance outcomes are often under reported. While recognition of the importance of generalization and maintenance is increasing, there is a lack of research systematically evaluating these outcomes and the factors that support successful generalization and maintenance. The current review aimed to investigate the status of generalization and maintenance within the social skills intervention literature for preschool age children with ASD. A total of 57 studies which measured generalization and/or maintenance of social skills intervention outcomes were included in the current review and evaluated regarding generalization and maintenance data collection and assessment, generalization-promotion strategies employed, generalization and maintenance outcomes, and factors posited to influence these outcomes.