The effects of typically developing children's use of peer-mediated interventions during play activities on the social interaction skills of typically developing children and children with autism

In this study, a Peer Training Package was developed to promote awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in typically developing children and to provide them with the social interaction skills they can use when playing with children with ASD. The study aimed to examine (a) the impact of the Peer Training Package on the social interaction skills of typically developing children who participate in the training process of the package and (b) the impact of the Peer-Mediated Intervention (PMI) applied by typically developing peers, who complete the training, on the social interaction skills of children with ASD. Participants of this study were six typically developing children aged 5-6 years as the "peer tutors" and three children with ASD as the "target children". All activities of the Peer Training Package were carried out in the pre-school settings these children receive education. In this study, multiple probe design across pairs of participants was conducted. The study consisted of four phases as (a) baseline sessions, (b) peer training sessions, (c) training sessions in which the peer tutors came together with the target children during plays and applied the social interaction skills they learned, (d) and maintenance sessions. Findings of the study indicated that (a) application of the Peer Training Package was effective in the permanent and reliable use of PMI by the peer tutors, (b) the target children who experienced the PMI could exhibit the target social interaction skills on acquisition, maintenance, and generalization levels, and c) the intervention was socially valid.