Children with autism often display differences in functional and symbolic play and may experience barriers to social inclusion with peers in preschool settings. Therefore, interventions supporting social play between children with autism and their peers that can be feasibly implemented by teachers in inclusive settings are needed. A…

The present study used functional analysis and tested for the effects of a treatment package on the increase of play and decrease of stereotypy with a student with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who attended an inclusive international school in Hong Kong. The treatment package was a partial replication of a toy conditioning procedure from Tsai…

This study examined the effects of using behavioral skills training (BST) to teach peer models to engage students with moderate to severe developmental disabilities in interactive play. Two separate multiple-baseline across participants designs were used to determine the effectiveness of BST on the peer models' implementation of the procedural…

There is a growing body of evidence supporting the use of telehealth to provide parent training in behaviour analytic interventions and researchers have begun to focus on international demonstrations of this model. The current study assessed the efficacy of a training package focused on naturalistic teaching strategies designed to upskill parents…

This study aims to examine Child-Centered Play Therapy's effect on reducing behavioral problems in five- and six-year-old children living in Istanbul. The study was conducted with 20 children from socioeconomically disadvantaged families. Families applied for support to a play therapy room established in a primary school. A pre-test and post-test…

This paper explores the perceived benefits of and barriers to, using puppets in early years classrooms and childcare settings. An online survey of 121 early years educators revealed that puppets are widely, but infrequently, used in the early years, and are largely found to be valuable pedagogical tools by those that use them. Puppets were…

Naturalistic developmental behavioural interventions are promising approaches for young children with, or suspected of having, autism spectrum disorder. Joint attention, symbolic play, engagement and regulation intervention (JASPER) is a well-researched naturalistic developmental behavioural intervention but, to date, no reviews have specifically…

Play is a universal activity that is an integral part of childhood experiences and aids in the development of important skills. While most children naturally engage in play, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) do not follow the typical pattern of play development and often exhibit delays in play skills. One of the defining characteristics…

Although naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions have a sizable and growing evidence base for supporting the development of children on the autism spectrum, their active ingredients and mechanisms of change are not well understood. This study used qualitative content analysis to better understand the intervention process of a…

Background/Context: Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the realities of many under-resourced and conflict-affected settings posed numerous challenges for in-person early childhood education (ECE) programming. Families migrate. Classroom spaces are scarce. Transportation to and from schools can be challenging to impossible. Schooling going remote…

Children's social and emotional well-being can be supported through their experiences of early years education to promote positive life-long outcomes. This study explored the views of 10 early years practitioners in relation to supporting children's social and emotional well-being. Data was gathered using semi-structured interviews and analysed…

This research explores the possibility of providing a general guideline for the use of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® (LSP) in youth work and examining the experiences of the frontline youth workers in Hong Kong who have adopted LSP to engage youngsters, who have been experiencing enormous socioeconomic challenges in different aspects. A 12-session workshop…