Manipulating toy sets to increase social communication in preschool children with special needs and their typically developing peers

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of manipulating toy sets on the social verbal interaction that occurs between preschool aged children with disabilities and their typically developing peers. A single subject alternating treatments design was used to evaluate the effects of manipulating social toy sets and isolate toy sets on social interactions. Participants included 1 female student and 3 male students with Significant Developmental Delay. The study took place within an inclusive preschool setting in North East Georgia. Students included in the study were presented with opportunities to play with the different toy sets on alternating days with their typically developing peers. The results indicate that social toy sets in isolation elicit a higher amount of social interaction compared to isolate toy sets in isolation. Given these preliminary results a discussion on whether or not manipulating toy sets is an effective, efficient, and socially valid means of increasing social interactions in inclusive preschool settings follows.