Training nonverbal and verbal play skills to mentally retarded and autistic children.
A short, cycle-based play package with prompting, praise, and time-out teaches ball-game play to kids with autism or Down syndrome.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Three kids—two with autism, one with Down syndrome—learned to play catch with an adult.
Each child got 10-15 minute sessions. The trainer used hand-over-hand prompts, praise for good throws and catches, and a brief time-out for wrong moves.
The goal was full play cycles: child throws, adult catches, adult throws back, child catches.
What they found
All three kids hit the goal. By the end they ran 8-12 full cycles every session.
Both nonverbal and verbal play steps improved. Kids started talking more during the game too.
How this fits with other research
Mastrogiuseppe et al. (2015) saw toddlers with autism make fewer gestures than peers in free play. This looks like a clash, but it isn’t. The 1990 study used tight prompting and rewards—free play doesn’t. Structure unlocks skills that don’t show up on their own.
Peters et al. (2013) later refined the error-fix step. They ran 5-minute tests to pick the fastest correction method for each child. You can borrow that quick probe before you start any new skill.
Kiyak et al. (2022) moved the same prompting package into general-ed classrooms. Middle-school teachers used simultaneous prompting plus self-monitoring to teach core academics. The tactic travels well.
Hoch et al. (2007) swapped live prompts for video clips. When adults with disabilities missed a table-setting step, they watched the clip again and then finished the step. Same logic, new medium.
Why it matters
You can teach a full social game in under 20 minutes a day. Use hand-over-hand prompts, quick praise, and brief time-outs. Track full cycles, not single actions. If a child stalls, run a 5-minute error-correction probe like Peters et al. (2013) to find the fix that works fastest.
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Join Free →Pick one child who can’t yet play catch. Run 10-minute sessions with hand-over-hand prompts, praise each good throw or catch, and give a 3-second time-out for misses. Count full cycles.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Two mentally retarded boys with autism and one mentally retarded girl with Down syndrome were taught to initiate and play a ball game with an adult confederate. The program targeted both nonverbal responses related to the actual execution of the ball game as well as verbal responses for play initiation and providing compliments for the confederate's behavior. Training sessions provided ample practice in all aspects of the game from initiation to termination through use of brief play cycles. Instruction was provided using a combination of physical and verbal prompts as well as reinforcement and time-out. All three children learned the game and by the study's completion executed multiple play cycles each session. The implications of combining play and social skills training in programming for developmentally handicapped children are discussed.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 1990 · doi:10.1007/BF02284717