Increasing play skills of children with autism using activity schedules and correspondence training

Play is a critical component of preschool children’s development. For children with autism, restricted play skills eliminate common tools needed to build independent performance and peer relationships. The purpose of this study was to investigate a strategy to improve the independent performance of preschoolers with autism during playtime in an inclusive setting. A multiple-baseline design across subjects was employed to determine the effectiveness of correspondence training and activity schedules on the on-task and play correspondence behavior of 4 preschoolers with autism. Partial-interval recording was used to measure on-task behavior and experimenter prompts, whereas a frequency count was used for on-schedule behavior. Procedural integrity and social validity were also measured. Results of the study indicated that all 4 participants ’ on-task and play correspondence behavior increased, while experimenter prompts gradually decreased. For most young children, play is a naturally occurring phenomena that promotes their en-gagement and learning, independent perfor-mance, and social inclusion (Brewer & Kieff