Using joint activity schedules to promote peer engagement in preschoolers with autism.

Betz et al. (2008) asked if a picture schedule could help preschoolers with autism play together. They paired three kids into dyads and gave each pair a photo strip showing the steps of a simple game. The strip stayed on the table so both partners could see it.

The team used a multiple-baseline design. They waited for each dyad to show low play, then introduced the schedule. Prompts were faded until the kids followed the strip on their own.

Peer engagement doubled when the schedule was present. All three dyads finished more games and talked to each other more. Two dyads kept playing well even when the photos were rearranged or new games were swapped in.

Akers et al. (2016) ran a close cousin study. They moved the same photo-strip idea to the playground and saw more independent play. The schedule still worked even when the setting changed.

Mattson et al. (2024) took the package into classroom centers. Instead of play, they tracked cooperative vocal exchanges. The schedule again boosted social behavior, showing the tool can stretch to new topographies.

Laermans et al. (2025) looks like a contradiction at first glance. Their teacher-run Stay-Play-Talk package beat the schedule for long-term gains and teacher ease. The newer study does not erase Alison’s result; it just offers a fuller package when you have staff time to train peers.

If you need a quick, low-prep boost in peer play, tape a photo strip of the game steps to the table. No extra adults, no scripts, just the pictures. Start with one game, fade your prompts, then test if the kids can follow the same strip when you shuffle the order. When you are ready for maintenance across weeks, layer in the Stay-Play-Talk training shown by Laermans et al. (2025).