Learning is a process through which human beings acquire or modify their abilities, skills, knowledge or behaviors. It seems like it is a simple process but it is colored by previous aspects such as anticipation , eye contact , sustained attention , motivation ...

You will have heard on many occasions that people talk about Meaningful Learning . It is learning that is integrated and modified, maintained over time and that has a lot to do with an aspect that occurs within the same process: generalization . Generalization is the ability to transfer that learning to other environments, other people, other objects... for us it is the unequivocal sign that this learning has been internalized by the child and modifies his steps in his orientation towards life and his environment.

In the ABA methodology, this generalization process has great weight because it is what advances the evolutionary ladder and is the final point of learning any ability, skill, knowledge or behavior.

When programmed under an ABA prism, the following are generalized:

1. Environments: as the main spaces of intervention in a child's life we will have: to. Home b. The school But we can also make interventions in other environments that surround the child and that will test the consistency of his learning: the park, the supermarket, at school, in the shoe store... The child is given tools so that all the learning and all the behavioral control remains the same in each environment in which it participates.
2. Spaces: let's imagine within each of those environments that we mentioned the spaces and consequently the different activities within each space within, for example: a house... working in the room, in the kitchen, in the parents' room, in the hallway, in the living room...
3. People: that the child is able to respond equally to anyone in his environment, his mother, his father, his siblings, teacher, grandparent... anyone in his environment.
4. Formats: all kinds of generalizations are also made regarding materials: we find, for example, work on 3D, 2D or book material. We also work with real image format, drawn image, abstract or graphically.
5. Arrangements: How different is a skill sitting at a table, standing, or sitting on the floor. All this variability gives the child the opportunity to maintain these learnings in whatever environment they are in.

Generalization is the most difficult test for a “typical” child. Let's imagine the effort to inhibit stimuli, adapt ability, control transitions and motivate activity that have to intervene in each of these processes.

Tell us how your children handle all these aspects, we are sure that by analyzing them you will be able to diagnose difficulties, strengths and other attack points in direct intervention in their generalization of skills!!

Cristina Oroz Bajo