Children with disabilities demonstrate fewer complex pretend play behaviors than children with typical development, which might limit their social participation in early childhood settings. A multiple-probe design was used to examine the relation between a single prompt procedure--constant time delay--and the acquisition, maintenance, and…

This study examined the contribution of adult directed lessons to student social engagement as part of a multicomponent procedure of adult directed lessons and child specific prompting with peer support delivered to four elementary-aged students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Prior to intervention, each participant exhibited deficits in social…

Beginning with Kanner's (1943) seminal article on autism, through the current DSM-IV-R criteria for the disorder, children have been described as having difficulty with seeing overall gestalts, due to excess attention to the constituent part. In current terms, children with autism have been found to process objects at the local level differently,…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an iPad® as a prompting device for teaching five daily living skills to three young adults with disabilities. Identified target tasks were (a) making spaghetti, (b) cleaning the dining room, (c) making macaroni and cheese, (d) cleaning the front porch, (e) cleaning the back porch, (f)…

Many students with complex disabilities (e.g., moderate and severe disabilities, autism spectrum disorder) require explicit instruction in social skills in order to respond to and initiate interaction with their peers. This article reviews the research on developing social skills groups to teach peer interactions for students with complex special…

Childhood obesity has become a problem of epidemic proportions in the United States, but much of the research has focused on prevention and intervention programs, which target the general population of school children. Overlooked in the literature are children with special needs (including autism, genetic disorders, Down syndrome, and Prader-Willi…

This study evaluated the effectiveness of progressive time delay in teaching three male preschoolers with disabilities to imitate their peers during arts and crafts activities. The subjects were enrolled in a half-day, mainstreamed program designed for children with autism. Teacher-delivered peer-mediated trials were embedded into a daily arts and…