The effects of a multicomponent intervention strategy to increase peer-directed social communication in eight Head Start children at risk for poor language and social skill development were examined. The intervention consisted of three components: (a) a planning period, including reading a storybook that illustrated the play theme and use of the social pragmatic communication strategies, practice using vocabulary to be used in play, and choosing roles for the thematic activity; (b) a 10-min play session in which the interventionist coached children to interact while they played with the thematic related toys; and (c) a brief reporting period in which children reviewed their use of the social pragmatic strategies and specific vocabulary. A multiple-baseline design across dyads with pre- and postgeneralization probes was employed. Children increased their use of peer-directed communication over baseline levels, target vocabulary words, and other social pragmatic skills.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.