Increasing handicapped preschoolers' peer social interactions: cross-setting and component analysis

Area of Science:

• Early Childhood Education
• Developmental Psychology
• Special Education

Background:

• Social interaction is crucial for preschool development.
• Children with disabilities often require targeted interventions to foster social skills.
• Peer-mediated interventions show promise in inclusive settings.

Observation:

• Non-handicapped peers (confederates) were trained to initiate social interactions with handicapped preschoolers.
• Teachers provided prompts and token reinforcement to confederates.
• The intervention focused on increasing positive social engagement.

Findings:

• Confederates' initiations significantly increased students' positive social interactions.
• Generalization across classroom settings did not occur initially.
• Withdrawal of token reinforcement did not negatively impact interactions.
• Reduced teacher prompts led to decreased student social interactions, while reinstatement increased them.

Implications:

• Peer initiation is an effective strategy for enhancing social skills in young children with disabilities.
• Teacher support and prompting are vital components for the success and maintenance of peer-mediated interventions.
• Interventions may need to be adapted or implemented across settings to ensure generalization.