Nur Azlina Subari (Group B)

Case Study 1

(i) the intervention

What is the intervention about?

The intervention is designed to teach peer-group entry skills to kindergartners with social interaction and communication deficits, especially to those who have specific language impairments (SLI). According to the authors of this article, children with SLI use low-risk behaviors to enter peer group such as hovering, waiting and engaging in parallel play. This approach differs from typically developing children who had no trouble interacting with their peers. They use high-risk behaviors to enter peer group such as making a verbal statement or asking a question to initiate play.

Procedures in the intervention

The child (target child) involved in this intervention chose a friend (host child) that she wanted to try to play with. Each intervention sessions lasted for 45 minutes and it was conducted during free play for 4 afternoons per week. The teachers in the classroom helped in the interaction between the target child and the host child. They also used a sequence of pictorial instructions to initiate play called the Mayer-Johnson Symbol. This instruction illustrates pictures of- (1) Walking to your friend, (2) Watch your friend playing, (3) Get a toy similar to your friend, (4) Do the same thing as your friend and (5) Tell your friend your idea of playing with the toy. These sequences were taught to the target child using direct instructions, modeling and prompting.

The target child was given 2 minutes to initiate play with the host child. If she did not manage to do that, the teacher will then have to follow these levels of prompting to help the target child:

 Level 1: No prompt

 Level 2: Visual Cue
Using the Mayer-Johnson Symbol mentioned above. If it still does not work, the teacher can then move on to the next level.

 Level 3: Non-Verbal Prompt
Teacher shows the toy to target child and say to the host child “It looks like (target child) wants to make a cake with you.”

 Level 4: Prop and Verbal Prompt
The teacher can say this to the target child “You could use a (toy) to make a cake just like (host child).”
She can continue to say this to the host child “It looks like (target child) wants to make a cake with you.”

 Level 5: Prop and Direct Modeling
The teacher tells target child, “I’m using a (toy) to make a cake like you are.”
She then tells the host child “We’re making cakes just like you (host child).”

At the end of the session, the teacher will record down the children’s name and the transcripts of what they said. The target child will be rewarded with stickers or candy after each entry attempt. She will also be rewarded with a treat from a ‘prize box’.


(ii) its effectiveness (as reported in the journal article)

Results, as written in the article, demonstrated increases in (a) high-risk behavior that the child use, (b) the use of toys and verbal statements to enter peer groups, (c) cooperative play, and (d) time spent interacting with peers. Results also indicated that the child’s behaviors in peer group entry closely resembled those of her typically developing peers. Even after the intervention has ended, the child generally maintained these behaviors on her own. In addition to that, the child who used more non-verbal gestures to initiate play showed an increase in using specific words to describe what she was doing. For instance, instead of “Let’s (doing the action of digging)”, the child is able to say “Let’s dig!” This shows that the intervention did not only improve social interaction between the children but also increases the use of language.

Overall, the children have a change in perception of the target child as they interact more. Thus, they were able to accept and respect the target child for the way she is. Furthermore, the article states that the teachers who were involved in this study find the intervention useful as it can also be implemented to other children as well. Thus, the whole class would benefit from this intervention.

(iii) your personal evaluation how the child will benefit from this intervention

From this intervention, Annie would be guided in using appropriate cues or behaviors when interacting with her peers. Overtime, she would know how to enter a play without disrupting any children as she develops interaction skills. This would promote positive social interaction among them. Hence, it will then minimize the chances of biting and being shy or withdrawn when she is around her peers. This intervention, as stated in the article, could be use on all the children in the class. As Annie has more opportunities to develop positive interactions with her peers, it will result in a change of perception on how they view her. Thus, they would accept and respect her for who she is.

(iv) your suggestions how you can make adjustments to cater to the needs of the child and to facilitate integration of the child / the intervention activity into your classroom.

I will have to go through training in order to have the skills and knowledge on carrying out the intervention successfully especially when using the Mayer-Johnson Symbol card. I would also have to communicate with Annie’s parents and speech therapist to exchange information regarding her development. The information obtained from them could be useful in modifying the intervention if necessary. The family could be inform of this intervention and I would allow them to be involved in the process, provided that they attend the training as well. Apart from doing this intervention during play time, I could also implement it to other lessons as well. This will allow Annie to not only play cooperatively with her peers but work well with them too.

In facilitating the integration of the intervention into my classroom, I would introduce it briefly to the whole class. This is to ensure that every child will get an idea about the intervention and how it can benefit all of them. In order to make it successful, I would ensure that the intervention is done consistently so as children will be familiar with the routine and thus not get distracted by it whenever it is conducted during their lessons.

Reference

Beilinson, J., & Olswang, L. (2003, April). Facilitating Peer-Group Entry in Kindergartners With Impairments in Social Communication. Language, Speech, & Hearing Services in Schools, 34(2), 154. Retrieved September 5, 2009, from Education Research Complete database.