Using Progressive Time Delay to Increase Levels of Peer Imitation During Sculpting Play

Area of Science:

• Early Childhood Education
• Special Education
• Behavioral Interventions

Background:

• Children with disabilities often struggle with social imitation skills crucial for learning.
• Peer imitation is a key developmental milestone and social learning strategy.
• Effective interventions are needed to support imitation development in young children with disabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a progressive time delay (PTD) procedure.
• To teach imitation of peer behaviors during a sculpting play activity.
• To determine the functional relation between PTD and peer imitation in preschoolers with disabilities.

Main Methods:

• A multiple probe across participants with an embedded withdrawal single case research design was employed.
• The study involved preschoolers with disabilities participating in a sculpting play activity.
• The progressive time delay (PTD) procedure was systematically applied and withdrawn.

Main Results:

• Data demonstrated a functional relationship between the PTD procedure and increased peer imitation.
• Peer imitation levels increased significantly across all participants when PTD was implemented.
• A decrease in peer imitation was observed when the PTD procedure was withdrawn, though not to baseline levels.

Conclusions:

• The progressive time delay (PTD) procedure is an effective intervention for teaching peer imitation skills.
• PTD, combined with contingent reinforcement, successfully enhanced imitation in preschoolers with disabilities.
• The magnitude of change in peer imitation observed in this study surpassed previous research findings.