Peer Interventions: Increasing Social Behaviors in Multihandicapped Children

Author(s)

Lori A. Sisson
Vincent B. Van Hasselt, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow
Michel Hersen, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Phillip S. Strain, University of Pittsburgh

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Behavior Modification

ISSN

0145-4455

Publication Date

7-1985

Abstract

The efficacy of peer-mediated intervention for increasing social behaviors in blind, multihandicapped children was examined in a multiple-baseline analysis. Two nonhandicapped peers were trained to direct social initiations to four multihandicapped subjects during free play. An increase in play initiations by peers served to increase social behaviors in multihandicapped subjects. Moderate generalization of treatment effects was obtained under circumstances that differed from the intervention condition in that peers were present but not administering treatment. Maintenance of treatment gains was evidenced at a four-month follow-up. This study expands the literature on social skills training of the blind by targeting young, multihandicapped children with age-relevant skills, and on peer-mediated intervention by focusing on socially withdrawn children whose condition is complicated by severe physical disabilities.

DOI

10.1177/01454455850093002

Volume

9

Issue

3

First Page

293

Last Page

321

NSUWorks Citation

Sisson, L. A., Van Hasselt, V. B., Hersen, M., Strain, P. S. (1985). Peer Interventions: Increasing Social Behaviors in Multihandicapped Children. Behavior Modification, 9(3), 293-321.
Available at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/cps_facarticles/176