A direct prompting strategy for increasing reciprocal interactions between handicapped and nonhandicapped siblings.

Researchers taught brothers and sisters to give short, clear prompts to a sibling with a disability. The typical kids also showed how to start play and keep it going.

The team used a multiple-baseline design across pairs. They tracked how often the children took turns, shared toys, and talked to each other during play.

Reciprocal play jumped as soon as siblings began prompting. The gains lasted six months and spread to new playmates at school.

Parents and teachers saw the pairs play longer without adult help. The children with disabilities also started more games on their own.

Glugatch et al. (2021) ran a modern version. They added a parent support group and used BST instead of simple prompting. Both studies got big, lasting gains, showing the core idea still works.

Hutchins et al. (2020) moved the same sibling-BST package to kids with ADHD. Social sharing and helping rose sharply, proving the method travels across diagnoses.

Wichnick-Gillis et al. (2019) flipped the agent. They taught scripts at school, then faded them until the autistic child used the lines with a sibling at home. Together, the papers show prompts can come from either side of the sibling pair.

You can turn typical brothers and sisters into on-the-spot social coaches. A quick script like “Ask me to play” or “Your turn” is all they need. Start with one prompt, praise the sibling for using it, and let the pair play while you watch from the corner. The 1986 study proves the effect holds for months without extra staff or gear.