Identifying early intervention targets for children with autism in inclusive school settings.
In inclusive preschools, kids with autism play for shorter bursts and almost never talk to peers unless you add peer interaction and sustained play goals to their IEPs.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team watched the preschoolers with autism in regular classrooms. They timed how long each child played with toys and counted peer chats. They compared these kids to 12 typical classmates.
All children were 3-5 years old. Data came from 20-minute free-play sessions across five school days.
What they found
Kids with autism touched the same toys but stopped playing sooner. Most play bouts lasted under two minutes.
Peer talk was almost zero. Only one child with autism spoke to a classmate across all sessions. Typical kids chatted 8-10 times per session.
How this fits with other research
Smith et al. (1997) first showed typical preschoolers play longer and talk more. Simpson et al. (2001) confirmed this gap still exists in inclusive rooms.
Watkins et al. (2019) and Dai et al. (2023) prove the gap can shrink. They used child interests and peer buddies to boost play time and peer talk.
Lindsay (2002) and Menezes et al. (2021) reviews say these tactics work across many studies. The 2001 warning still matters: without help, kids with autism stay on the sidelines.
Why it matters
Add two goals to every preschool IEP: longer play bouts and peer interaction. Use peer buddies and child interests as your first tools. Start next week with one 5-minute buddy session during centers.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study assessed play and social behavior of young children with autism in inclusive school settings to identify important targets for intervention. Data were collected for five children with autism and for typically developing peers. All children with autism received intervention in one-on-one settings but did not have individual education plan goals that provided systematic intervention for developing play and social skills in their school settings. Results indicated the children with autism and their typically developing peers played with a comparable number of stimulus items (e.g., toys), but the children with autism engaged in these activities for shorter durations. Both children with autism and their typically developing peers engaged in similar levels of social interaction with adults. However, the children with autism rarely or never engaged in social interactions with their peers, whereas the typically developing peers frequently engaged in social interactions with other children. The results suggest important targets for intervention.
Behavior modification, 2001 · doi:10.1177/0145445501255005