Generalisation
The occurrence of a learned behaviour in settings, with people, or under conditions different from where it was taught.
Generalisation is the point of all teaching. If a learner can request a break with their PECS card at the therapy table but not in the classroom, the skill hasn't generalised - and in practical terms, it barely exists.
There are three main types. Stimulus generalisation means the behaviour occurs in new settings or with new people. Response generalisation means the learner uses different but functionally equivalent behaviours (asking for a break verbally AND with a card). Maintenance means the skill sticks over time without continued teaching.
Generalisation rarely happens automatically. You have to plan for it by teaching across multiple people, settings, and materials from the start. If you train one therapist in one room and then expect the skill to appear everywhere, you'll be disappointed. The field has a long history of producing skills that live only inside clinical conditions.