Increasing play-based commenting in children with autism spectrum disorder using a novel script-frame procedure.
Fade a simple picture frame and kids with developmental delays keep making spontaneous play comments without any props left in sight.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team tested a new script-frame trick. Kids saw a short phrase inside a picture frame while they played.
All children had developmental delays. The adults kept fading the frame until the kids talked without it.
What they found
Spontaneous play comments shot up. The kids kept talking even when the frame disappeared.
New toys and new words showed up later. The skill stuck without extra training.
How this fits with other research
Akers et al. (2018) ran the same idea but let big brothers and sisters deliver the script. The sibling version worked just as well and lasted months.
Johnson et al. (2009) did parent-run script fading at home. Both studies show you can hand the script job to almost anyone and still win.
Ezzeddine et al. (2020) swapped the frame for a short video clip. Video modeling also lifted play comments, so you now have two media choices to teach the same skill.
Why it matters
You no longer need to keep a card or device on the table. Fade the frame once and the child keeps talking. Try it during free play, then probe with new toys to check if the comments travel. One quick set-up can give you lasting language gains without extra staff or gadgets.
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Join Free →Tape one play phrase inside a small frame, show it during play, then fade the frame out once the child uses the phrase.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Children with developmental disabilities may engage in less frequent and more repetitious language than peers with typical development. Scripts have been used to increase communication by teaching one or more specific statements and then fading the scripts. In the current study, preschoolers with developmental disabilities experienced a novel script-frame protocol and learned to make play-related comments about toys. After the script-frame protocol, commenting occurred in the absence of scripts, with untrained play activities, and included untrained comments.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 2015 · doi:10.1002/jaba.194