The effects of a peer-mediated intervention on the social communicative interactions between children with and without special needs

Six nondisabled elementary age peers were taught five social communication facilitation strategies to use during interactions with agemates with severe cognitive disabilities. A multiple baseline design across three triads was used to evaluate the extent of behavioral changes in all children as a result of the intervention. Results indicated that the nondisabled peers were able to apply the five strategies (mirroring, assistance, choicemaking, descriptive talk, and responding) while playing with their partners with special needs. Also, changes were evident in nondisabled peers' frequency of verbal behavior directed to the target child and the percentage of communicative attempts to which nondisabled peers verbally responded. Nondisabled peers and children with special needs spent a greater percentage of the play period engaged in social interaction following training. The three children with special needs displayed positive, but variable, changes in their frequency of nonverbal and verbal communicative attempts during the feedback phase.