Teaching behaviorally handicapped preschool children to share.
A two-minute teacher script of tell-show-practice-prompt-praise lifts sharing and drops fights in behaviorally challenged preschoolers.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Five preschoolers with behavior problems learned to share toys.
Teachers used a five-step package: tell, show, practice, prompt, praise.
The team watched sharing and negative play across many days.
What they found
Five of six children shared far more and fought less.
Negative play dropped as soon as the package began.
Gains lasted without extra toys or treats.
How this fits with other research
Connell et al. (2004) later used the same prompt-and-praise style to grow pretend play in toddlers.
Sherratt (2002) and Kok et al. (2002) also boosted play in autism rooms, but they compared structured vs. loose setups instead of using BST.
Demello et al. (1992) showed the same tell-show-praise steps can teach even tough self-care skills like contact-lens wear.
Why it matters
You can copy this package Monday. Spend two minutes: describe sharing, model it, have the child try, then tag each share with praise. It works for many play targets and cuts problem behavior at the same time.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
We examined the effectiveness of Barton and Ascione 's (1979) package for training sharing in a classroom setting with six behaviorally handicapped preschool children, four of whom were also developmentally delayed. Individual responses in sharing and not sharing were examined. Training consisted of initial instructions, modeling, and behavioral rehearsal, followed by teacher prompts and praise regarding sharing directly in a classroom free play period. Introduction of training in a multiple-baseline design across three pairs of children resulted in substantial increases in sharing for five of the six children. Results for negative interactions were less clear but suggested that concomitant decreases occurred for the same five children. The response analysis indicated that (a) individual components of sharing (offers, requests, and acceptances ) all increased with training; (b) most children were more likely to initiate sharing through requests than through offers; (c) the proportion of sharing initiatives accepted by peers increased with training despite a much greater absolute number of initiatives; and (d) of the three negative behaviors (opposing play, taking without asking, and aggression) examined as incompatible with sharing, the most prevalent response was opposing other children's play. Individual differences in initial social repertoires and responsiveness to training were examined with respect to their implications for research and practice. Overall, the findings provide an encouraging indication of an intervention program for children with behavioral, social, and developmental handicaps.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 1984 · doi:10.1901/jaba.1984.17-45