Identifying and Targeting Social-Communication and Play Skills for Preschoolers With Autism

Abstract

M ei (teacher), Joyce (instructional assistant), and Lateasha (speech and language pathologist) are practitioners working in an inclusive preschool classroom. They have two children (Luke, age 4 and Delquan, age 5) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The practitioners are facing challenges engaging Luke and Delquan in play and social activities. Both children prefer to be alone most of the school day. Mei suggests they explore techniques to purposefully engage Luke and Delquan in social and play activities, to improve these skills. Like many in early education, Mei and the practitioners are seeking ways to include and actively engage all children with ASD in daily routines and activities. Preschool teachers and their administrators are not always adequately trained to work with children with ASD (Loiacono & Allen, 2008; Wilson & Landa, 2019), and have reported barriers to teaching children with ASD, such as challenges faced engaging children in classroom activities and instruction (Wilson & Landa, 2019). These findings suggest preschool teachers would benefit from strategies and resources to better engage all children in classroom activities. Social-communication (SC) and play skills are often challenging for children with ASD, and research