This article describes incidental teaching of social behavior, which improves the peer interactions of young children through a naturalistic teaching tactic that can be used separately or along with other social skills interventions. The article offers a rationale, examples of incidental teaching, and helpful hints for implementing the method.…

Strategies useful in teaching moderately and severely retarded students appropriate sexual behaviors include showing respect for privacy; asking permission before touching a student; teaching appropriate social interaction; and providing sex education concerning anatomy, physiology, sexual feelings, public and private behavior, expressing…

This study examined the strategies teachers use to promote social play in a mainstreamed early childhood program that included five children with special needs and five nonhandicapped peers. Results indicated that teachers can successfully facilitate peer play through initiation of play, participation in group play, elaboration of group play, and…

The impact of the educational programs of zoos on the recreational visitor is addressed in this report. Unobtrusive or nonreactive research methods were employed as primary evaluative techniques by graduate social science students conducting six research projects at the Los Angeles Zoo. These studies were designed and implemented to examine: (1)…

Children's (ages 8-12) interactive social responses to computers were examined. Results showed that students had not considered the social implications of using another's data. When infringements of their rights to privacy took place, students demanded penalties. Students showed preference for group problem-solving strategies. (RM)

When two nonhandicapped peers of an autistic five-year old were trained to initiate social interaction, social interaction increased and then dramatically decreased in a reversal phase, and no decrease in the autistic child's disruptive behaviors was observed. When the autistic child was trained to initiate interaction, social interaction…

The study compared the effects of different play conditions (microcomputer, remote-control robot, or no toys) on the amount of time four dyads of handicapped/nonhandicapped children would interact during structured play. Results suggested that microcomputers may serve as social facilitators for children with significant social and language…

Eleven learning-handicapped students (ages 8-13) worked in dyads during a microcomputer-based writing activity, and their behaviors were coded as initiations/responses, verbal/nonverbal. Overall, student interactions had a negative impact on story production. Students exhibited higher levels of assertive, demanding behavior than requests for peer…

An alternating individual and group-oriented reinforcement contingency did not generate consistent levels of supportive peer behaviors between two preschoolers with handicaps and their socially competent peers. Two socially competent children were then taught to deliver supportive prompts to their peers during dramatic play, increasing the…

This paper reviews what is known about social coordination in young children with disabilities, describes how social coordination develops in children with and without disabilities, discusses the role of social coordination in developing social competence, examines how available assessments of social skills address the concept of social…

This practicum report describes a staff development program that was designed to implement a peer tutoring program in which nonhandicapped students instructed three trainable mentally handicapped peers in a regular high-school setting. The program was implemented to increase the achievement of handicapped students in basic academic skills that…

This study involving three autistic and four nondisabled preschool children found that a peer-initiation intervention produced increases in peer initiations and social interactions when the teacher verbally prompted, but not without verbal prompts. When a correspondence training/visual feedback package was implemented, peer initiations and social…

The interactions of three dyads, consisting of one student with moderate mental retardation and one nondisabled peer, were assessed while playing computer games. Results indicated that students (ages 13-14) exhibited more frequent social initiations, higher degrees of game satisfaction, and equal/higher degrees of peer satisfaction while playing…

This study of interactions between three severely withdrawn, autistic preschool children and six nonhandicapped peers found that peers can be effectively taught strategies to increase appropriate social behaviors of autistic classmates, and a group-oriented reinforcement contingency is an effective complement to teacher-prompted interventions and…

Research on communication instruction for students with severe intellectual disabilities is reviewed, focusing on the pragmatic elements involved in accomplishing a successful communicative exchange. A federally funded project, called the "Conversation and Social Competence Research Project," is then described. The project sought to…