Generalization of the say-do correspondence in a child with autism spectrum disorder

Say-do correspondence refers to the equivalence between what people say they are going to do and what they then do. This skill has been taught in diverse populations for decades to establish adaptive behaviors. This study sought to improve the results of previous studies that sampled participants with autism spectrum disorder. A single case study was designed with training based on the use of instructions to prevent errors and differential reinforcement, among other elements. In addition, the generalization of correspondences on preestablished classes of stimuli was evaluated using an express questionnaire. The results showed that the participant managed to establish the say-do correspondence and non-correspondence, as well as generalization to untrained stimuli. These findings are significant for the design of training procedures and generalization of saying-matching-doing in people with neurodevelopmental disorders.