Stay-Play-Talk with Preschoolers: Programming for Generalization and Maintenance
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Stay-Play-Talk with Preschoolers: Programming for Generalization and Maintenance By Molly E. Milam Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Vanderbilt University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHOLOSPHY in Special Education May 11, 2018 Nashville, Tennessee Approved: Mary Louise Hemmeter, Ph.D. Erin E. Barton, Ph.D. Ann P. Kaiser, Ph.D. Vicki S. Harris, Ph.D. To ‘the originals,’ Jim, Tara, Jaime, Caroline, and Ali, for supporting me every step of the way. To my children, Ayden and Eleanor, for inspiring me to be the best me I can be. To my husband, Sean, for your selflessness as I have worked to achieve this goal. I love you with all my heart and could not have done this without your never-ending support. T.O.M.Y.? ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Drs. Mary Louise Hemmeter, Erin Barton, Ann Kaiser, and Vicki Harris. I am extremely grateful for your support and guidance over the course of this project, as well as throughout my time at Vanderbilt University. I would also like to thank my outstanding research assistants, Taylor Puckett, Katie Boyce, and Jarrah Korba for your commitment, optimism, and enthusiasm for this project. Finally, I would like to thank the teachers and children who welcomed me into their classrooms. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DEDICATION.................................................................................................................................ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................................................iii LIST OF TABLES.........................................................................................................................vii LIST OF FIGURES......................................................................................................................viii Chapter I. Introduction................................................................................................................................1 Purpose.......................................................................................................................................6 II. Method.......................................................................................................................................8 Recruitment................................................................................................................................8 Participants.................................................................................................................................9 Teacher participant inclusion criteria...................................................................................9 Target child inclusion criteria..............................................................................................9 Peer buddy inclusion criteria...............................................................................................9 Setting......................................................................................................................................17 Materials..................................................................................................................................18 Training protocols..............................................................................................................18 SPT visuals........................................................................................................................18 Visual timer.......................................................................................................................19 Prize box...........................................................................................................................19 Data collection materials...................................................................................................19 Response Definitions and Data Collection..............................................................................19 Peer buddy implementation of the SPT strategies............................................................20 Target child engagement in play.......................................................................................21 Target child initiations and responses ..............................................................................23 Class-wide social engagement..........................................................................................25 Sociometric Rating Activity....................................................................................................26 Social Validity.........................................................................................................................28 Social validity questionnaire for teachers.........................................................................28 Social validity questionnaire for pre-service teachers......................................................28 Experimental Design................................................................................................................29 Procedures................................................................................................................................30 Pre-baseline measures.......................................................................................................30 iv Baseline.............................................................................................................................31 Training sessions...............................................................................................................31 Buddy time........................................................................................................................35 Maintenance......................................................................................................................38 Generalization...................................................................................................................39 Procedural Fidelity...................................................................................................................39 Observer Training and Inter-Observer Agreement..................................................................41 III. Results......................................................................................................................................43 Peer Buddy Implementation of the SPT Strategies..................................................................43 Target Child Engagement in Play............................................................................................46 Target Child Initiations and Responses...................................................................................47 Class-wide Social Engagement................................................................................................48 Maintenance.............................................................................................................................49 Peer buddy maintenance of SPT strategy use...................................................................49 Target child maintenance..................................................................................................50 Generalization……………………………………………………………………………………………………….……........51 Peer buddy generalization of SPT strategy use.................................................................51 Target child generalization................................................................................................52 Sociometric Rating Activity..............................................................................................54 Social Validity.........................................................................................................................55 Social validity questionnaire for teachers.........................................................................55 Social validity activity for pre-service teachers................................................................55 IV. Discussion................................................................................................................................57 Limitations...............................................................................................................................61 Implications for Research and Practice....................................................................................62 Conclusion................................................................................................................................63 Appendix A. Teacher Nomination form for Target Children........................................................................84 B. Target Child Eligibility Criteria Checklist...............................................................................85 C. Teacher Nomination Form for Peer Buddies...........................................................................86 D. Peer Buddy Eligibility Criteria Checklist................................................................................87 E. Whole Class SPT Training Protocols......................................................................................88 F. Triad SPT Training Protocols..................................................................................................94 G. Booster Training Protocols....................................................................................................100