Using Badges to Increase Initiations of Children with Severe Disabilities in a Play Setting

Abstract

A study was conducted to investigate a training strategy that allowed children with severe disabilities to choose and initiate activities when playing with chronologically age-appropriate peers without disabilities. Prior to intervention, each student with severe disabilities was taught to use badges with photographs to indicate play activities. Pretraining involved role-playing with the teacher, teacher assistant, and a fourth grader without disabilities and not otherwise involved in the study. The intervention involved having students with disabilities take their badges into a free-play situation. A multiple-baseline, across-subjects design indicated a functional relationship between intervention and student use of play organizers, initiations, and shares. Results are discussed in terms of including students with severe disabilities in the training process when teaching social and play skills.

A Systematic Review of Interventions to Increase Peer Interactions for Students with Complex Communication Challenges

“…Specifically, a student with ID was taught to use a picture book to self-prompt and initiate conversations to his peers without disabilities across school settings. Working with younger participants, Jolly, Test, and Spooner (1993) taught two elementary school students with severe ID to use badges to indicate preference during play activitieswith peers without disabilities in a special education classroom. The students were shown how to use picture books to invite their peers without disabilities to participate in activities during physical education classes.…”

“…During conversation sessions,students were taught to follow a turn-taking structure to initiate and respond to their communication partners across school and community settings. Working with younger participants, Jolly, Test, and Spooner (1993) taught two elementary school students with severe ID to use badges to indicate preference during play activitieswith peers without disabilities in a special education classroom.…”

An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior to Examine the Impact of Classroom Inclusion on Elementary School Students

“…Classroom interventions, described extensively in Burns (2007), Halvorsen and Neary (2001), and Jolly, Test, and Spooner (1993), provide numerous strategies for educators and peers to promote peer integration and peer interaction which can lead to increases in behavioral, social, and academic growth (Schwartz, Sandall, McBride, & Boulware, 2004;Hunt, Farron-Davis, Beckstead, Curtis, & Goetz, 1994;Kishi & Meyers, 1994).…”

Using a Single-Switch Voice Output Communication Aid to Increase Social Access for Children with Severe Disabilities in Inclusive Classrooms

“…These strategies have included elements such as peer training (e.g., Brady, Shores, McEvoy, Ellis, & Fox, 1987;Hunt, Alwell, Farron-Davis, & Goetz, 1996;Lilienfeld & Alant, 2005;Odom, Chandler, Ostrosky, McConnell, & Reaney, 1992;Oke & Schreibman, 1990;Pierce & Schreibman, 1995;Weiner, 2005) and time delay (Filla, Wolery, & Anthony, 1999;Malmskog & McDonnell, 1999). To date, studies have focused on increasing peer initiations toward children with disabilities (e.g., Brady, Shores, et al, 1987;Odom et al, 1992;Oke & Schreibman, 1990;Pierce & Schreibman, 1995), developing appropriate social interactions between children with disabilities and their peers (e.g., Baker, Koegel, & Koegel, 1998;Brady, McEvoy, Wehby, & Ellis, 1987;Malmskog & McDonnell, 1999;Pierce & Schreibman, 1995), and teaching children with disabilities to initiate interactions with peers (e.g., Davis, Brady, Hamilton, McEvoy, & Williams, 1994;Haring & Lovinger, 1989;Johnston, Nelson, Evans, & Palazolo, 2003;Jolly, Test, & Spooner, 1993;Krantz & McClannahan, 1993;Oke & Schreibman, 1990).…”

“…The use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) has been examined in a variety of contexts to promote the communication of children with limited verbal skills (for a discussion, see Romski & Sevcik, 1997). AAC strategies have been used to teach students to request items or activities (e.g., Basil, 1992;Johnston et al, 2003;Jolly et al, 1993;Kravits, Kamps, Kemmerer, & Potucek, 2002;Sigafoos, Didden, & O'Reilly, 2003), as well as to support communicative interactions (Hughes et al, 2000;Hunt et al, 1996;Hunt, Farron-Davis, Wrenn, Hirose-Hatae, & Goetz, 1997). Mathy-Laikko et al (1989) and Schweigert (1989) explored the effectiveness of interventions designed to teach children who are deaf-blind to activate switches as a means to access social interaction with adults.…”