Promoting interaction during sociodramatic play: teaching scripts to typical preschoolers and classmates with disabilities.

The team worked with six preschoolers in an inclusive classroom. Three kids had autism. Three were typical peers.

Adults first taught short play scripts like "pet shop," "carnival," and "magic show." Each script had four kid lines and four peer lines.

Kids practiced the scripts until they could say them without help. Then they acted out the theme with new partners while teachers watched.

Every child used more theme-related words and actions after learning the scripts. Kids with autism talked and played almost as much as typical peers.

The gains stuck. When kids moved to a new script, they kept using the old one too. They also played better with brand-new classmates they had never rehearsed with.

Szempruch et al. (1993) used the same script-fading idea one year later. They dropped words from the end of each line instead of using play themes. Both studies show scripts boost peer initiations, so the trick works with or without costumes.

Wichnick-Gillis et al. (2019) took the script idea home. They taught lines at school and saw brothers and sisters use them after school. That tells us the skill can travel beyond the classroom rug.

Dai et al. (2023) looks like a contradiction at first. They let typical peers lead play instead of using adult scripts. Their kids still gained social skills. The two studies agree that peer interaction is the goal; they just use different roads to get there.

You can lift this script package tomorrow. Pick any play theme your kids love. Write four short lines for each role. Practice until the lines are easy, then fade yourself out. Kids with autism get words, typical kids get a buddy, and you get data everyone can see.