A Social Skills Program for Developmentally Delayed Preschoolers

Abstract

A social skills training program was implemented in the mornings twice weekly for 6 weeks for 4 and 5 year olds in a noncategorical school for developmental disabilities. Target behaviors were appropriate social ones such as greetings and asking to see a toy. Inappropriate social behavior included tantrums, aggression, and grabbing toys. Social play consisted of being within two ft of another child, interacting verbally, or joint activity. Appropriate social behavior was taught with puppets, peer modeling, role playing, instructions, and reinforcement of the target behaviors. Significant differences were noted between experimental subjects and controls on two of three target behaviors. Implications of these data for future research with young developmentally disabled children are discussed.