ERIC Number: ED531336
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Apr
Pages: 9
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Play-Based Interventions. What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report
What Works Clearinghouse
"Play-based interventions" are practices designed to improve socio-emotional, physical, language, and cognitive development through guided interactive play. During play sessions, an interventionist uses strategies including modeling, verbal redirection, reinforcement, and indirect instruction to sustain and encourage child play activities. Through the use of appropriate play materials and the direction of the interventionist, the goal is for young children with disabilities to be better able to explore, experiment, interact, and express themselves. "Play-based interventions" can be conducted across a variety of settings, including at school or at home, as one-on-one activities between an interventionist and a child, or in small group settings. The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) identified 62 studies of "play-based interventions" for preschool children with disabilities in early education settings that were published or released between 1989 and 2011. Three studies are within the scope of the Early Childhood Education Interventions for Children with Disabilities review protocol and were reviewed for this intervention report. However, these studies do not meet WWC evidence standards. Two studies did not establish that the comparison group was comparable to the treatment group prior to the start of the intervention. One of these used a quasi-experimental design, and the other was a randomized controlled trial with high attrition. One study assigned only one unit to the treatment condition and one unit to the control condition, which makes it impossible to attribute the observed effect solely to the "play-based intervention". Twenty-one studies are out of the scope of the Early Childhood Education Interventions for Children with Disabilities review protocol because they have an ineligible study design. Thirty-eight studies are out of the scope of the Early Childhood Education Interventions for Children with Disabilities review protocol for reasons other than study design. Four additional studies (not included in the counts above) were reviewed using the pilot Single-Case Design standards. One study meets the pilot Single-Case Design standards, and three do not meet pilot Single-Case Design standards. Single-case design studies reviewed for this intervention (but not included in this intervention report) are appended. A glossary of terms is included. (Contains 2 endnotes.)
Descriptors: Evidence, Quasiexperimental Design, Intervention, Play, Early Childhood Education, Disabilities, Preschool Children, Cognitive Development, Young Children, Outcomes of Treatment, Comparative Analysis, Child Language, Reinforcement
What Works Clearinghouse. 550 12th Street SW, Washington, DC 20024; e-mail: contact.WWC@ed.gov; Web site: https://whatworks.ed.gov/
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: What Works Clearinghouse (ED)
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
IES Publication: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/interventionreport.aspx?sid=570