The Effects of Multiple-Exemplar Training on Generalization of Social Skills with Adolescents and Young Adults with Autism: a Systematic Review

Adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have persistent difficulty developing and generalizing social communication and interaction skills. Emerging research has demonstrated that people with ASD have benefited from strategies that embed multiple-exemplar training (MET) to increase generalization of social skills. However, to date, no systematic review has examined the effects of MET on stimulus or response generalization of social skills. As such, the purpose of the current study was to analyze the effects of MET on generalization of social skills with people aged 13-30 diagnosed with ASD. We reviewed 11 studies; results suggested that MET was effective for producing stimulus generalization of social skills.