ABSTRACT THE EFFECTS OF FLOOR TIME ON COMMUNICATION INTERACTION BEHAVIORS BETWEEN TYPICALLY DEVELOPING PRESCHOOLERS AND PRESCHOOLERS WITH AUTISM By Nichole Lynn Cannon It is important for children with autism to form social relationships among peers to prevent social isolation and to experience the benefits of developing social contacts. The current study trains preschool peers how to interact with their peers with autism through the use of floor time. Floor time is an educational model adopted by Stanley Greenspan.. The purpose of the study was to determine a.) Can typical preschoolers implement the steps of floor time with their peers with autism and b.) Do peers with autism demonstrate an increase in their communication interaction with their typical peers when the steps of floor time are implemented? The current study had four participants, two typical preschoolers and two preschoolers with autism. Results indicated that typical preschoolers can learn to implement the steps of floor time with their peers with autism. The study also showed children with autism exhibit increases in communication behaviors. THE EFFECTS OF FLOOR TIME ON COMMUNICATION INTERACTION BEHAVIORS BETWEEN TYPICALLY DEVELOPING PRESCHOOLERS AND PRESCHOOLERS WITH AUTISM A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Miami University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology By Nichole Lynn Cannon Miami University Oxford, OH 2006 Advisor________________________________ Kathleen Hutchinson, Ph.D Reader_________________________________ Doris Bergen, Ph.D Reader_________________________________ Donna Murray, Ph.D Reader_________________________________ Ann Glaser M.S. CCC-SLP Table of Contents CHAPTER I....................................................................................................................1 Introduction.................................................................................................................1 Autism ..................................................................................................................... 1 Peer-Mediated Interventions ...................................................................................1 Autism-Related Interventions ...................................................................................2 Significance of the Problem .....................................................................................3 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................4 CHAPTER II ..................................................................................................................5 Literature Review........................................................................................................ 5 Autism ..................................................................................................................... 5 Language in Autism .................................................................................................6 Communication Deficits in Autism ...........................................................................7 Social Deficits in Autism ..........................................................................................8 Play in Autism ......................................................................................................... 9 Peer-Mediated Intervention ................................................................................... 11 Interventions ......................................................................................................... 12 Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) ....................................................................... 13 Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH) ............................................................................................................ 14 Floor Time ............................................................................................................ 15 Research Hypothesis ............................................................................................. 17 CHAPTER III ............................................................................................................... 17 Method and Procedures............................................................................................. 17 Participants ........................................................................................................... 18 Setting ................................................................................................................... 19 Materials ............................................................................................................... 20 Procedure .............................................................................................................. 20 Measurements ....................................................................................................... 22 Data Collection ..................................................................................................... 25 ii CHAPTER IV............................................................................................................... 26 Results ...................................................................................................................... 26 Interobserver Agreement ....................................................................................... 26 Subject A ............................................................................................................... 26 Subject B ............................................................................................................... 31 Participants with Autism -Comparison of Averages ............................................... 36 Subject C ............................................................................................................... 37 Subject D ............................................................................................................... 45 Typical Peers-Comparison of Averages ................................................................. 52 CHAPTER V ................................................................................................................ 54 Discussion................................................................................................................. 54 Limitations ............................................................................................................ 60 Implications for Future Research .......................................................................... 62 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 62 References .................................................................................................................... 63 APPENDIX A....................................................................................................... 71 APPENDIX B ....................................................................................................... 73 APPENDIX C ....................................................................................................... 75 APPENDIX D....................................................................................................... 77 APPENDIX E ....................................................................................................... 78 APPENDIX F........................................................................................................ 79 APPENDIX G....................................................................................................... 81 APPENDIX H....................................................................................................... 83 APPENDIX I......................................................................................................... 84 APPENDIX J ........................................................................................................ 85 APPENDIX K....................................................................................................... 88 iii LIST OF TABLES 1. Definition of Communication Interaction Behaviors…………………………..…23 2. Description of Floor Time Steps……………………………………………….....24 3. Average Frequency of Means of Expression-Subject A……………………….…27 4. Average Frequency of Communication Functions-Subject A.…………………...29 5. Average Frequency of Other Variables-Subject A…………………………….....30 6. Average Frequency of Means of Expression-Subject B………………………….32 7. Average Frequency of Communication Functions-Subject B…………………... 34 8. Average Frequency of Other Variables-Subject B……………………………….35 9. Average Frequency of Floor Time Step One-Subject C………………………….38 10. Average Frequency of Floor Time Step Two-Subject C………………………....40 11. Average Frequency of Floor Time Step Three-Subject C………………………..41 12. Average Frequency of Floor Time Step Four-Subject C………………………....43 13. Average Frequency of Floor Time Step Five- Subject C………………………...44 14. Average Frequency of Floor Time Step One-Subject D……………………….....46 15. Average Frequency of Floor Time Step Two-Subject D…………………………47 16. Average Frequency of Floor Time Step Three-Subject D………………………..49 17. Average Frequency of Floor Time Step Four-Subject D……………………........50 18. Average Frequency of Floor Time Step Five-Subject D………………………....52 iv