Effects of script training on the peer-to-peer communication of children with autism spectrum disorder.

Three preschoolers with autism played in a small group. Each child got short scripts like “Let’s build a tower” or “Can I have the red block?”

Adults taught the scripts with pictures and praise. They tracked how often each child started or answered peer talk.

The team used a multiple-baseline design. Scripts were added one child at a time to show the teaching, not chance, caused change.

Scripted lines shot up right away. More surprising, unscripted talk also climbed and stayed high.

Gains moved to new toys and new peers. Four weeks later the kids were still chatting without scripts.

Wormald et al. (2019) got the same jump in spontaneous talk, but they used joint video modeling instead of scripts. The match shows the method matters less than giving kids a clear way to start.

Syriopoulou-Delli et al. (2012) worked with slightly older kids. They added initiation training after basic social skills. Their students kept playing even when adults stepped back. Gotham et al. (2015) proves you can get that self-start earlier by front-loading scripts.

Doherty et al. (2018) also boosted peer back-and-forth, yet they used PECS pictures plus prompts. Both studies hit the same goal — more child-to-child turns — through different tools.

You can run script drills for ten minutes before free play. Scripts act as training wheels: kids borrow the words, then ride on with their own. Try it next session — write three short lines that fit the toys on the rug and watch peer talk grow.