Increasing Pretend Toy Play of Toddlers With Disabilities in an Inclusive Setting

Abstract

We evaluated a program for increasing pretend toy play of 2-year-old children with disabilities in an inclusive classroom. Classroom personnel implemented the program, which involved choices of classroom centers containing toys that tend to occasion pretend play in toddlers without disabilities, along with prompting and praise. Increases occurred in independent pretend-play rates among all 5 participating toddlers. Results are discussed regarding the importance of promoting toy play of very young children with disabilities that is similar to the type of play of their nondisabled peers, and the need to identify critical program components that are applicable in inclusive settings.

Teaching Pretend Play to Children With Disabilities

“…The youngest child was 26 months old (DiCarlo & Reid, 2004), and the oldest child was 10 years old (Kim et al, 1989). Few studies (4 of 16) focused on children younger than 4 years, which may be an appropriate age to begin targeting pretense in children with disabilities.…”

“…The overlap was considered adequate if fewer than 10% of data overlapped across conditions, on the basis of the pattern of behaviors during baseline. Ten of the 14 reports did not have fewer than 10% of overlapping data across conditions for all participants and behaviors (e.g., DiCarlo & Reid, 2004;Goldstein & Cisar, 1992;Neville & Bachor, 2002;Taylor & Iacono, 2003;Zercher et al, 2001).…”

Tėvų Mokymo Programos Efektyvumas Ugdant Vaikų Žaidimo Gebėjimus

“…Strategies such as modeling, prompting, add-ons and reinforcement can all take place in the context of pretend play and have all been shown to aid in the enhancement of children's play skills (DiCarlo & Reid, 2004;Guillaume, 1926Guillaume, /1971Kelly-Vance & Ryalls, 2008;Mallory et al, 2010;Piaget, 1962;Singer, 1973;Stahmer, 1995;Thomas & Smith, 2004;Vygotsky, 1978). Modeling involves demonstrating play to a child.…”

“…However, beyond merely increasing the amount of parent-child play, parents were taught four teaching strategies, including modeling, prompting, add-ons, and reinforcement, which all have empirical support as e ective ways to increase play (DiCarlo & Reid, 2004;Guillaume, 1926Guillaume, /1971Kelly-Vance & Ryalls, 2008;Piaget, 1962;Singer, 1973;Smilansky, 1968, Vygotsky, 1978. Therefore, not only were the parents engaging in increased durations of parent-child play, but it could also be argued that the parent-child play interactions were more purposeful and allowed for opportunities for the child to practice new play behaviors.…”

Embedding Sensory Preference Into Toys to Enhance Toy Play in Toddlers With Disabilities

“…Adults in the environment (eg, parents and teachers) follow the child's lead by prompting with materials the child has made an initiation toward or materials in which the child has displayed an interest. In addition, if specific methods to increase toy play are not designed with consideration of child-directed practices, the methods are not likely to be well received in settings that maintain a child-directed philosophy (DiCarlo & Reid, 2004;Ivory & McCollum, 1999).…”