ERIC Number: EJ1342390
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-May
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-4669
EISSN: N/A
Increasing Social Interactions of Preschool Children with Autism through Cooperative Outdoor Play
Journal of Special Education, v56 n1 p49-60 May 2022
Unstructured activity periods are central components of early childhood education programs. Deficits in social communication and social interaction presented by children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) become apparent in these settings during unstructured activities, such as outdoor recess. Thirty-two preschool-age children with and without ASD participated in the "Buddy Game," a structured, cooperative play curriculum that focused on natural peer-peer modeling and imitation. The "Buddy Game" used familiar songs to promote peer proximity and discrete social bids between peers during outside time. A multiple baseline design across three classrooms was used to study curriculum effects on discrete social bids of children with ASD. Results demonstrated increased social bids from children with ASD to their peers with neurotypical development (NTD) across classrooms. In one classroom, effects maintained after intervention stopped and generalized to other times of the day. Implications for integrated educational settings and early childhood curricula are discussed.
Descriptors: Preschool Children, Autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Interaction, Peer Relationship, Play, Peer Influence, Imitation, Singing, Proximity, Social Behavior, Recess Breaks, Preschool Education, Games, Program Effectiveness, Inclusion
SAGE Publications and Hammill Institute on Disabilities. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2814
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Georgia
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule; Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A