Training Teachers to Enhance the Play Skills of Young Children With Developmental Disabilities During Outdoor Time by Embedding Instructional Interactions

Abstract

We created and evaluated a professional development package for training four teachers to embed instructional interactions during outdoor time to enhance the play skills of young children with significant developmental disabilities. The instructional package included an initial 20-min session that consisted of providing written and verbal instructions, modeling, and rehearsal with feedback. Following the initial training session, we provided teachers with self-monitoring cards to guide their interactions and with feedback (i.e., coaching) on their performance. Researcher involvement was faded over four sessions. Results indicated that teachers increased and maintained their instructional interactions with targeted children after receiving the professional development package. Children's engagement in outdoor play served as a collateral outcome measure and revealed improvement. Supplemental probe data were gathered by an unobtrusive recorder to assess observer reactivity and maintenance of teacher performance in the absence of the primary observer. These unobtrusive observations were inconclusive but suggested a potential effect attributable to reactivity.

Efficacy of Peer-Network Interventions for High School Students with Severe Disabilities and Complex Communication Needs

“…Findings from this study have implications for special educators and paraprofessionals. First, teachers and paraprofessionals should treat unstructured times of the school day as opportunities to promote social interactions and development (Brock et al, 2018; Martin et al, 2015). Although school staff may treat unstructured times of the school day as breaks from providing instruction, this results in missed opportunities for both students with severe disabilities and their peers.…”

Creating play opportunities on the school playground: Educator experiences of the Sydney playground project

“…Children with disabilities are often perceived as incapable of play without direct intervention (Martin et al, ). Similar to previous studies on the school playground (Sterman et al, ), at the start of the current study, a culture of low expectations existed where educators thought children did not have the skills to manage their emotions or engage in unsupported play, limiting play choice and control.…”

“…Educators often value teaching discrete skills in the classroom and on the playground (Martin et al, ). A shift to stepping back and using the loose materials to support play challenged the educators' perception of their playground role.…”

“…Play as an occupation is seldom a focus of school‐based occupational therapy (Rodger et al, ), and school‐based playground interventions rarely focus on the occupation of play (Lang et al, ; Machalicek et al, ; Martin, Drasgow, & Halle, ). The playground is a unique and vital space where children can develop independence, exercise choice and control, and learn to manage risk through play (Murray et al, ).…”

Avoiding the Humdrum: Recommendations for Improving How We Conceptualize and Assess Social Validity in ECSE

“…Another example of employing an indigenous member of the focal setting occurred in a study by Martin, Drasgow, and Halle (2015). In this case, we engineered the situation by recruiting a doctoral student in school psychology, Jack, to assist us.…”