Peer Mediation to Increase Communication and Interaction at Recess for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Special Education

Background:

• Recess is crucial for children's social-emotional development, offering interaction opportunities.
• Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often struggle to benefit from recess due to social and communication challenges.
• Evidence-based interventions are needed to make recess a positive learning experience for students with ASD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effectiveness of a social skills instructional program combined with peer networks in increasing communicative acts during recess for students with ASD.
• To determine if school staff can successfully implement this intervention.

Main Methods:

• A multiple-baseline design across participants was employed.
• The intervention involved a social skills program and peer networks facilitated by school staff.
• Data focused on the level of communicative acts during recess for participants with ASD.

Main Results:

• All participants showed an immediate increase in communicative acts upon intervention introduction.
• The intervention demonstrated a functional relationship with increased communication levels.
• School staff successfully implemented the social skills program and peer networks.

Conclusions:

• A social skills instructional program with peer networks is effective in enhancing recess communication for students with ASD.
• This intervention strategy can be implemented by school staff to support students with ASD.
• Findings suggest recess can be a beneficial environment for students with ASD with appropriate support.