Peer-mediated intervention: attending to, commenting on, and acknowledging the behavior of preschoolers with autism

This study investigated the effects of a peer-mediated intervention on the social interaction of five triads comprised of preschoolers with autism and their typical peers. Strategies thought to facilitate interaction were selected based on analyses of a descriptive data base. Peers were taught to attend to, comment on, and acknowledge the behavior of their classmates with disabilities. These are behaviors preschoolers typically exhibit frequently, but that do not obligate responses to the same extent as questions and requests do. The ABCB reversal designs revealed that improved rates of social interaction during play were clearly associated with the peer intervention for 4 of the 5 children with autism. This intervention offers an alternative peer-intervention package for increasing interaction between children with and without disabilities.