Imitation is a primary means through which children learn new skills. Most children learn to imitate without being taught but some children with disabilities fail to develop or use imitation in the absence of direct instruction. The importance of teaching imitation to children with disabilities has been acknowledged, with studies appearing as…

In this commentary, the issue of fidelity assessment is addressed as it relates to Strain and Bovey's article (2011). Four reasons are provided for measuring fidelity in intervention studies. Measuring fidelity (a) potentially allows investigators to document the findings were not due to the lack of fidelity in a study; (b) presents information…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of using a constant time delay procedure to teach foundational swimming skills to three children with autism. The skills included flutter kick, front-crawl arm strokes, and head turns to the side. A multiple-probe design across behaviors and replicated across participants was used.…

Simultaneous prompting is a response-prompting procedure requiring two daily sessions: an instructional session in which a controlling prompt is provided on all trials, and a probe session in which no prompt is provided on any trials. In this study, two schedules of conducting the probe sessions (daily vs. every fourth day) were compared using the…

The purpose of this study was to analyze literature regarding interventions for promoting pretend play in children with disabilities. Sixteen studies were found using experimental designs to evaluate pretend play interventions with children with disabilities. The results were analyzed across the targeted pretense behaviors, participants,…

This study evaluated the effectiveness of point-of-view video modeling in teaching selected toy-play skills to two preschoolers with autism. This type of modeling involved the experimenters carrying or holding the video camera at eye level (from the child's perspective) and without recording models (persons]) to show the environment as a child…

The effects of an intervention designed to facilitate interactions between two older, typically developing children and their younger siblings with Down syndrome were investigated using a multiple-baseline design across behaviors and participants. The researchers used written materials, modeling, role play, and oral feedback to teach two…

This study evaluated embedding and distributing constant time delay instructional trials into circle time and transitions between activities in a summer camp program. Three boys (ages 5-8) with disabilities or behavior problems participated. Results indicated the children acquired the behaviors they were taught and generalized the learned…

This article explains how educators can use the ecological congruence assessment process for identifying functional goals for young children with disabilities. Process steps include: teacher collects information about functioning in usual classroom activities, routines, and transitions; summarizes the collected information; and shares the…

This article discusses assumptions that have guided research on children with disabilities, which are to: draw on findings from other areas of research, use rigorous experimental methods, rely on systematic replications, be alert to serendipitous findings, and attend to trends and shifts in perspectives, but follow the data when drawing…

A national mail survey of 276 preschool teachers employed in programs accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children found that more than half of respondents currently had a child with disabilities in their classroom and most were not working with a special educator. (Author/CR)

The paper describes procedures for transferring stimulus control. Four response-prompting and two stimulus manipulation procedures are discussed. The response-prompting procedures are most-to-least prompts, graduated guidance, system of last prompts, and time delay. The stimulus manipulation procedures are stimulus shaping and stimulus fading.…

The paper describes the evaluation of two levels of a center-based early intervention project offering two-day services for toddlers and five-day services for preschoolers with mild/moderate cognitive delays. Effects of services were assessed in terms of developmental change and the number of objectives achieved. (Author/CL)

The paper maintains that impact evaluation studies of programs serving handicapped infants and preschoolers should be restricted to scientifically defendable investigations. Specific types of impact studies and an evaluation process are suggested. It is suggested that program leaders should focus evaluation activities on the status of project…