Interaction of Social and Play Behaviors in Preschoolers With and Without Pervasive Developmental Disorder

Abstract

T his study investigated the relationship between the social and play behaviors of young children with pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) and without PDD. Videotaped observations of 21 preschool children (12 with PDD and 9 without PDD) were examined independently for (a) social complexity and (b) play complexity that was assessed on an individualized basis for each child. The researchers used loglinear analyses to analyze the data. The results supported an inverse relationship between play and social interaction: The children's play within a social interaction tended to be less complex than their play outside of the interaction. All children, regardless of diagnosis, demonstrated similar behavioral patterns, although the children without PDD engaged in social interaction to a greater extent. These results suggest that social interventions should be implemented in the context of play activities that the child has mastered, as opposed to those activities the child is in the process of learning.

Interaction processes as a mediating factor between children's externalized behaviour difficulties and engagement in preschool

“…Several studies report a relationship between children's maturity and increased complexity in their engagement behaviour (Casey, McWilliam, & Sims, 2012;McWilliam & Bailey, 1992;Pierce-Jordan & Lifter, 2005). However, 4 all aspects of engagement are not necessarily related to developmental age and could therefore be interpreted as core engagement.…”

Teaching games to young children with autism spectrum disorder using special interests and video modelling

“…For young children, play provides opportunities to acquire critical developmental skills as well as to engage in activities with peers during daily routines (Boucher & Wolfberg, 2003;Boutot, Guenther, & Crozier, 2005;Lifter, Mason, & Barton, 2011;Pierce-Jordan & Lifter, 2005). Research suggests that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may exhibit delayed play skills or repetitive play and have difficulty engaging in spontaneous play with peers, whereas typically developing children play and interact with peers in various ways (Blanc, Adrien, Roux, & Barthélémy, 2005;Boutot et al, 2005;Holmes & Willoughby, 2005;Lifter et al, 2011;Lydon, Healy, & Leader, 2011;Pierce-Jordan & Lifter, 2005;Thomas & Smith, 2004).…”

“…Research suggests that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may exhibit delayed play skills or repetitive play and have difficulty engaging in spontaneous play with peers, whereas typically developing children play and interact with peers in various ways (Blanc, Adrien, Roux, & Barthélémy, 2005;Boutot et al, 2005;Holmes & Willoughby, 2005;Lifter et al, 2011;Lydon, Healy, & Leader, 2011;Pierce-Jordan & Lifter, 2005;Thomas & Smith, 2004).…”

“…Improvements in play can promote social interactions and language skills and decrease the inappropriate behaviour of children with ASD (Baker, 2000;Goldstein & Cisar, 1992;Nuzzolo-Gomez, Leonard, Ortiz, Rivera, & Greer, 2002;Scheflen, Freeman, & Paparella, 2012;Stahmer, 1995;Thomas & Smith, 2004;Thorp, Stahmer, & Schreibman, 1995). Pierce- Jordan and Lifter (2005) suggested that children with a limited repertoire of appropriate play skills may find the use of social skills interventions embedded in a play context much too challenging. Children are more likely to engage socially with other children in a play context using play skills they have mastered (Pierce- Jordan & Lifter, 2005).…”

Social IEP Objectives, Teacher Talk, and Peer Interaction in Inclusive and Segregated Preschool Settings

“…Preschoolers' failure to develop positive peer relationships often results in maladjustment during school years (Ladd and Kim 1999). However, many children with disabilities have difficulty developing peer-related social competence and need to be helped in developing social skills (Odom et al 1998;Pierce-Jordan and Lifter 2005). Children with disabilities tend to engage in lower levels of social play, initiate peer interaction less often, spend less time interacting with peers, are less often chosen as playmates, and are more likely to be rejected by peers than typically developing children (Odom et al 1998;Pierce-Jordan and Lifter 2005).…”