Normal Peer Models and Autistic Children's Learning

Abstract

Present research and legislation regarding mainstreaming autistic children into normal classrooms have raised the importance of studying whether autistic children can benefit from observing normal peer models. The present investigation systematically assessed whether autistic children's learning of discrimination tasks could be improved if they observed normal children perform the tasks correctly. In the context of a multiple baseline design, four autistic children worked on five discrimination tasks that their teachers reported were posing difficulty. Throughout the baseline condition the children evidenced very low levels of correct responding on all five tasks. In the subsequent treatment condition, when normal peers modeled correct responses, the autistic children's correct responding increased dramatically. In each case, the peer modeling procedure produced rapid achievement of the acquisition criterion which was maintained after the peer models were removed. These results are discussed in relation to issues concerning observational learning and in relation to the implications for mainstreaming autistic children into normal classrooms.

Increasing Autistic Children's Spontaneous Verbalizations of Affection: An Assessment of Time Delay and Peer Modeling Procedures

“…Specifically, a time delay procedure (Charlop et al, 1985;Halle, Marshall, & Spradlin, 1979) (Charlop, Schreibman, & Tryon, 1983;Egel, Richman, & Koegel, 1981) were used in an attempt to teach the children to spontaneously vocalize "I like you" or "I love you" in response to a hug by a familiar person or their mother, respectively. We employed the definition of spontaneity used in Charlop et al (1985): "a verbal response to a nonverbal discriminative stimulus in the absence of a verbal discriminative stimulus."…”

The Effects of Peer Monitoring Training on the Emergence of the Capability to Learn from Observing Instruction Received by Peers

“…This finding was replicated by Werts, Caldwell, and Wolery (1996), who found that students with disabilities who could not perform a task showed higher accuracy after observing a typically developing peer emit the chains accurately. Children with autism demonstrated color discriminations after observing typically developing students perform color discrimination tasks (Egel, Richman, & Koegel, 1981). Rehfeldt, Latimore, and Stromer (2003) found that after children and adults with developmental disabilities observed a person without disabilities model prerequisite conditional discriminations, several of the participants demonstrated full stimulus class formation for reading skills.…”

Classwide Peer Tutoring: An Integration Strategy to Improve Reading Skills and Promote Peer Interactions Among Students With Autism and General Education Peers

“…A strong case has been made for peerinvolved procedures such as modeling, prompting, and cross-age tutoring (e.g., Charlop, Schreibman, & Tryon, 1983;Egel, Richman, & Koegel, 1981;Kamps, Locke, Delquadri, & Hall, 1989). In addition, various investigations have demonstrated peer strategies to be an appropriate vehicle for improving social skills and development.…”

“…Other restrictions or limiting characteristics of academic and social investigations have included (a) the use of peers that are much older than the students with disabilities, (b) the use of "reverse mainstreaming" (i.e., bringing the general education peers to the special education classrooms or isolated environments), or (c) significant modifications of the general education program or costly, intensive training for the students with disabilities (e.g., Almond, Rodgers, & Krug, 1979;Carr & Darcy, 1990;Egel et al, 1981;Haring, Breen, Pitts-Conway, Lee, & Gaylord-Ross, 1987;. Therefore, additional research is needed to determine the effects of peer-mediated strategies on academic and social skills of children with autism in integrated classroom settings.…”