Once the skill is performed accurately and independently under one condition, are you arranging multiple opportunities for the student to practice the skill with different people, and in multiple settings?
Consider the student who rarely asks for clarification in a particular classroom setting. He sits quietly and digs himself into a deeper and deeper academic “hole.” This is likely the same student who does not advocate for accommodations to which he has been afforded (e.g., separate setting for testing, class notes). Though the student may advocate in one setting with you, we cannot assume that this behavior will automatically generalize to a different setting with a different instructor, different academic content, and different peers. Certainly, we must also presume that these self-advocacy behaviors are not likely to generalize to post-secondary or work settings without explicit and systematic generalization programming efforts.
The student first develops competence advocating within one area of need or issue across multiple settings (e.g. asking for information when instructions are not clear or seeking classroom accommodations). Then he moves to a different subset for instruction and practice. Over time, the instructor may support the student in connecting these varied circumstances (e.g., requesting a break, looking for a volunteer position that is a good match for the individual’s strengths and interest, asking a question to obtain clarification, attending an IEP meeting, etc.) so that the student develops a generalized concept of what it means to be a “self-advocate.” Developing that generalized concept of self-advocacy can support the student in correctly identifying when he might need to self-advocate in new situations.
One way to represent this generalized concept in concrete terms might be: “I have needs and wants. I have to tell other people what those needs and wants are. When I do this, I am being a good self-advocate.”
Are you arranging opportunities for the student to practice the targeted skill in natural environments and under natural conditions?
Have you adapted visual supports so that they can remain in the natural environments that this student encounters now, and in the future?
Consider how you might adapt the following supports to sustain performance in natural work, home, and school environments:
Are you collecting data to make adjustments to your teaching and to ensure that the student is performing the skill across multiple conditions?