Evaluation of Behavioral Skills Training for Teaching Abduction‐prevention Skills to Young Children

Abstract

This study examined the effectiveness of individual behavioral skills training in conjunction with in situ training in teaching 13 preschool children abduction prevention skills. Children's performance was measured during baseline, training, and at 2-week, 1-month, and 3-month follow-ups using in situ assessments in which abduction prevention skills were measured in naturalistic settings. Results revealed that all the children learned the skills and all the children available at the 2-week and 1-month follow-ups maintained the skills at criterion level. All but 3 children's criterion-level performances were maintained at the 3-month follow-up as well.DESCRIPTORS: behavioral skills training, children, abduction prevention skills, in situ training, in situ assessment

Teaching Safety Skills to Children: Prevention of Firearm Injury as an Exemplar of Best Practice in Assessment, Training, and Generalization of Safety Skills

“…The three skills are to discriminate the presence of the safety threat and avoid contact with it, engage in behavior that functions to escape from the threat situation, and inform a parent or teacher about the threat so the threat can be removed (e.g., Johnson et al, 2005Johnson et al, , 2006Lumley, Miltenberger, Long, Rapp, & Roberts, 1998).…”

“…Descriptors: behavioral skills training, firearm injury, prevention, safety skills refrain from approaching it (e.g., . If the safety threat comes from another person (e.g., an abduction lure, a sexual abuse lure), the child must refrain from engaging in the requested behavior, which also may include a verbal refusal (e.g., Johnson et al, 2005Johnson et al, , 2006.…”

“…However, the same skills are applicable to numerous other safety threats such as those posed by finding an unattended bottle of medicine or poison, an open gate to a swimming pool, or a lighter or matches; and by requests to leave with an adult, engage in sexual activity or other inappropriate touch with an adult, to consume alcohol or drugs with an older child, or to engage in any dangerous behavior (e.g., Egemo-Helm et al, 2007;Johnson et al, 2005Johnson et al, , 2006Lumley et al, 1998). Whether the safety threat comes from contact with a danger in the physical environment or from an action of another person, the child's safety is best assured by his or her ability to (a) discriminate the presence of the threat and avoid contact with it, (b) get away from the threat, and (c) report the threat to a responsible adult.…”

“…The most ecologically valid assessment of safety skills is an in situ assessment (e.g., Johnson et al, 2005;2006). An in situ assessment measures the use of the skills when a simulated safety threat is presented in the natural environment without the child's knowledge.…”

“…In situ assessments have been shown to be useful for evaluating safety skills in response to other safety threats, including abduction and sexual abuse lures (e.g., Johnson et al, 2005;Poche et al, 1988). The safety skills exhibited by children during these assessments are typically scored numerically.…”