The overtures of preschool social skill intervention agents. Differential rates, forms, and functions.
Teach typical preschool peers to share or suggest games for quick happy replies and to offer help when you want longer chats with autistic classmates.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers watched typical preschoolers play with autistic classmates. They counted every time a typical child made a social move.
They sorted the moves into types: sharing toys, suggesting a game, giving help, or inviting play. Then they timed how long each back-and-forth lasted.
What they found
Share offers and play-organizer comments got the fastest happy replies from autistic kids. Help offers took longer to spark a reply, but those chats lasted the longest.
In plain words: hand over a toy or say "Let’s build" for a quick win. Say "I’ll help" when you want a longer talk.
How this fits with other research
Charlop et al. (1992) taught peers to attend, comment, and acknowledge. Both studies show the same big idea: train typical classmates and autistic kids talk more.
Sasson et al. (2018) packed these moves into a 15-minute "Buddy Game" and still saw bigger gains for autistic preschoolers. The 1992 micro-moves still work when you scale them up.
Golos et al. (2022) looked at a whole preschool day and found autistic kids join social play less. That seems opposite, but they watched every moment, not just peer-first moves. The contradiction fades when you see that adult-set peer overtures are the spark.
Why it matters
You can script peer helpers in under five minutes. Tell them: "Share a piece or suggest the next game for a fast smile. Offer help when you want a longer chat." Use both moves across the week to keep social time high and varied.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the differential topographies and functions of social behaviors directed by normally developing preschoolers to their playmates with autism. Social interaction data from intervention phases of a study by Kohler, Strain, Hoyson, DeCesare, Donina, and Rapp were analyzed in three different ways. First, the frequency of four behaviors commonly included in social interaction training or assessment procedures (i.e., play organizer suggestions, share offers or requests, assistance offers or requests, and general statements) was examined. Second, the effects of each peer behavior on the immediate response of 3 children with autism were examined. Finally, the impact of each behavior that led to a positive response on the duration of subsequent target child-peer social interactions was examined. The four social behaviors had differential topographical and functional properties. Shares and play organizers occurred most frequently and generated the highest proportion of positive responses from all 3 children with autism. Conversely, assistance offers or requests occurred less often and received a lower percentage of positive responses. However, assistance behaviors consistently led to the longest social interactions. Implications of these results for future social skills training and research are discussed.
Behavior modification, 1992 · doi:10.1177/01454455920164005