Expanding toy play through visually structured tasks and scripting for young children with developmental disabilities

Abstract

Children first establish the foundations of subsequent social interactions by learning basic toy manipulations skills (Weiss and Harris, 2001). Once the child has established these skills in isolation, they can then be expanded into the symbolic and dramatic levels of play. For children who do not display these foundational toy play skills, the likelihood of isolation in inclusive settings is greater. A multiple baseline design across students and stimuli (i.e., toys) was used to test the effectiveness of an intervention package that included three Evidence Based Practices, Visual Supports, Scripts, and Least to Most Prompting. The following study included three preschool age children (i.e., 4–5) with identified Developmental Disabilities who were participating in an inclusive classroom at a local early learning center. Results of this study indicate an increase in level of play following the implementation of the intervention package. Students were able to progress from basic levels of play (e.g., non‐functional sensory‐based interactions) to more imaginative dramatic levels of play. In addition, students demonstrated the ability to go beyond the play script by bringing in additional play materials and expanding the interactions between objects. Implications for practice and suggestions for future research are described.