DOCUMENT RESUME ED 415 638relationship, buddy skills are taught to both members of a buddy pair. Features of the program include: (1) peer sensitization, designed to promote positive

ED 415 638

AUTHOR

TITLEINSTITUTIONSPONS AGENCYPUB DATENOTECONTRACTAVAILABLE FROM

PUB TYPE

JOURNAL CIT

EDRS PRICEDESCRIPTORS

ABSTRACT

DOCUMENT RESUME

EC 306 121

English, Kris; Shafer, Karin; Goldstein, Howard; Kaczmarek,LouiseTeaching Buddy Skills to Preschoolers.American Association on Mental Retardation, Washington, DC.Department of Education, Washington, DC.1997-00-0046p.

H023C10167American Association on Mental Retardation, 444 NorthCapitol Street, NW, Suite 846, Washington, DC 20001-1512.Collected Works Serials (022) Guides ClassroomTeacher (052)Innovations: American Association on Mental Retardation,Research to Practice Series; n9 1997MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.Case Studies; *Disabilities; *Friendship; *InclusiveSchools; Instructional Design; Interpersonal Communication;Interpersonal Competence; Mainstreaming; *Peer Acceptance;*Peer Relationship; Preschool Children; Preschool Education;Program Development; Social Development; *Teaching Methods

This manual describes the buddy skills training program,which provides teachers with a set of tested strategies designed tofacilitate interactions and support the development of friendships betweenpreschoolers with and without disabilities. The training procedures arephilosophically based on social exchange theory. To support the concept ofpositive reciprocity and a shared restdonsibility for the developingrelationship, buddy skills are taught to both members of a buddy pair.Features of the program include: (1) peer sensitization, designed to promotepositive attitudes as well as prosocial behavior; (2) a versatile,across-the-day application, providing increased opportunities forinteractions to occur and relationships to develop; (3) developmentallyappropriate strategies that place a low demand on children; and (4) minimaluse of adult prompting. In addition, training procedures take place withinthe regular curriculum, and because of the across-the-day implementation,there is less need to program for generalization. The manual provides anoverview of the training sequence and describes the steps of the program. Foreach step, teachers are provided objectives, rationale, strategies, and aself-check. Sample forms for evaluating student progress and a case study ofa 4-year-old with Down syndrome are also provided. (Contains 26 references.)(CR)

********************************************************************************

Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be madefrom the original document.

********************************************************************************

I I I

1.3

2 APtme, Ka ireknwr CAPY AVAT

1N

U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOffice of Educational Research and Improvement

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER (ERIC)

++0K: document has been reproduced asreceived from the person or organizationoriginating it

Minor changes have been made toimprove reproduction quality

Points of view or opinions stated in thisdocument do not necessarily representofficial OERI position or policy

to PreSC .9° CIStY

E w in Shia i,

BEST PY A VA A

ResearchFoundations

The information in this book was based primarilyon the following research. See the bibliographyfor full citations.

"Interaction Among Preschoolers With andWithout Disabilities: Effects of Across-the-Day Peer Intervention"by H. Goldstein, K. English, K. Shafer, & L.Kaczm are k

"Promoting Interactions AmongPreschoolers With and Without Disabilities:Effects of a Buddy Skills Training Program"by K. English, II. Goldstein, K. Shafer, & L.Kaczm are k

"Peer-Mediated Intervention: Attending to,Commenting on, and Acknowledging theBehavior of Preschoolers With Autism"by H. Goldstein, L. Kaczmarek, R. Pennington, &K. Shafer

"A Peer-Mediated Social NetworkIntervention to Enhance the SocialIntegration of Persons With Moderateand Severe Disabilities"by T. Flaring & C. Breen

"Acceptability, Feasibility, and Current Useof Social Interaction Interventions forPreschool Children With Disabilities"by S. Odom, S. R. McConnell, & L. K. Chandler

OVATIONS

TeachinBuddy Skills toPreschoolers

Kris English

Karin Shafer

Howard Goldstein

and

Louise Kaczmarek

Diane BrowderEditor, Innovations

American Association on Mental Retardation

Development of this training program was made possible by Grant #H023C10167 from theU.S. Department of Education, entitled Programming Integration of Preschoolers (Project PIP):Developing Peer Relationships Between Children With and Without Developmental Disabilities.

4

© 1997 by the American Association on Mental Retardation. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.

Published byAmerican Association on Mental Retardation444 North Capitol Street, NWSuite 846Washington, DC 20001-1512

The points of view expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarilyrepresent the official policy or opinion of the American Association on MentalRetardation. Publication does not imply endorsement by the editor, the association,or its individual members.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataTeaching buddy skills to preschoolers/Kris English... (et al.).

p. cm. (Innovations, ISSN 1072-4036; no. 9)Includes bibliographical references.ISBN 0-940898-45-41. Friendship in children. 2. Social skills in children. 3. Developmen-

tally disabled childrenLife skills guides. I. English, Kristine M., 1951-.II. Series: Innovations (Washington, D.C. : 1994); no. 9.HQ784.F7T43 1997302.3'4dc21 97-2471

CIP

Table of ContentsCHAPTER 1 Introduction 1

Facilitating Friendship Development 2

Features of the Buddy Skills Training Procedures 3

Conclusion 3

CHAPTER 2 Guidelines 5

Overview of Training Sequence 5

Step 1: Initial Assessment 7

Step 2: Pretraining 11

Session 1: Different Ways of Communicating 11

Session 2: Different Ways of Responding; Being a Buddy 12

Step 3: Buddy Training 13

Lesson 1 14

Lesson 2 16

Buddy Assignments 17

Step 4: Implement Buddy Steps 18

Step 5: Reminders and Reinforcements 19

Step 6: Evaluation 21

Step 7: Identify Behaviors Inhibiting Interaction 22

Step 8: Identify a Social Skill 25

Step 9: Train Buddy Pair 26

Step 10: Satisfactory Interaction Occurring 28

Step 11: Fade Out Reminders and Reinforcements 29

CHAPTER 3 Case Study 31

CHAPTER 4 Summary 37

BIBLIOGRAPHY 39

6

A child with a disability wantsto have friends at school.

But developing friendshipsusually requires some

intervention.

MST COPY AVAILABLE

7

When fully realized in educational settings,inclusion means that all students have equalaccess not only to programs or materials, butalso to all the normative experiences of child-hood. One of the most essential of these experi-ences is the social aspect of schoolthe oppor-tunity to share, play, laugh with, and learn fromone's peers. The value of these relationshipsshould not be underestimated. From an adult'spoint of view, preschool friendships may seem tohave only peripheral value; from a child's point ofview, friendships are very important. Ask a well-adjusted preschooler why she likes school, andshe will not say that the curriculum is develop-mentally appropriate or the materials arechallenging; she will probably comment on thefriends she has there. And specialists in earlyintervention indicate that establishing peerrelationships is a vital developmental task.

Child-child interaction changes over time,from a "primitive awareness of the needsof others" to complex reciprocal ex-changes using "multiple sources ofinformation. Children spend more andmore timein peer interaction until, byadolescence, time spent with peers exceedstime spent with other agents of socialization."

Hartup (1983)

1

This buddy skills training program is basedon the assumption that a child with a disabilitywants to have friends at school. But developingfriendships usually requires some intervention,because (1) a child with a disability may notknow how to interact and be friends with otherchildren; (2) typically developing children maynot know how to interact and be friends with achild with a disability; (3) teachers may have littleexperience in promoting friendships amongchildren with and without disabilities.

Guralnick (1990) described these patternsamong children with disabilities: (1)difficulties engaging in group play; (2)lack of success in forming reciprocalfriendships; (3) lower sociometric statuscompared to typically developing children.

Facilitating FriendshipDevelopment

By definition friendships are relationships that aremutually enjoyed by each participant. The buddyskills training procedure is based on the premisethat while children with disabilities and childrenwithout disabilities have differing friendshipskills, all children should still be expected toshare mutual responsibility for the developmentof a friendship.

To promote the development of friendshipsamong children with a wide variety of socialskills, the developers of this training procedureapplied the concepts of "social exchange theory,"which proposes that for satisfactory outcomes inrelationships to occur, the rewards of interactionsmust outweigh the cost for each participant.

2 BEST COPY MAU LE,

Gaventa (1 3 ) escri e..-7eleheri0 'Of.friendliig as conveyed in

classic literature: (1):frietiasinjoy eachother's company; (2) friensiSfare useful toeach other (reciprocity); (3) friendssupporta common commitment to "thegood " a good life.

This buddy skills intervention attempts toincrease the rewards and reduce the costs ofsocial interactions. Learning and practicing buddyskills can help children with and without disabili-ties develop confidence and enjoy their interac-tions (increasing rewards); sensitizing children todifferent levels of communicative abilities and playbehaviors can ease anxiety or clarify misunder-standings (decreasing costs). The greater thebenefits associated with interactions, the greaterthe possibility for a friendship to develop.

The training procedures described in thismanual, then, are philosophically based on socialexchange theory. To support the concepts ofpositive reciprocity and a shared responsibility forthe developing relationship, buddy skills aretaught to both members of a buddy pair. Buddyskills are practiced in several activities across theschool day to help the buddy pair learn togeneralize to different situations.

Kelly and Thibaut (1978) suggested thatrelationship development was affected byrewards (factors that reinforce behaviors,such as enjoyment, satisfaction, or taskcompletion) and costs (factors thatinhibit behavior, such as embarrassment,anxiety, or excessive effort).

84, . 4

Both rewards (positive reinforcement andsatisfying relationships) and costs (training andpractice) are shared by children with and withoutdisabilities.

Features of the Buddy SkillsTraining Procedures

Buddy skills training procedures have someimportant and perhaps unique features, includ-ing: (1) peer sensitization, designed to promotepositive attitudes as well as prosocial behavior;(2) a versatile, across-the-day application,providing increased opportunities for interactionsto occur and relationships to develop; (3) develop-mentally appropriate strategies that place a lowdemand on children; and (4) minimal use ofadult prompting. In addition, training procedurestake place within the regular curriculum, andbecause of the across-the-day implementation,there is less need to program for generalization.

I COPY AVAILABLE

Oldstein, 'English, Shafer, and KAzmarek(InPress):isked trained buddies to apply,their "buddy steps" across three activities

"cliFing the day:tither than during oneperiod of intense strategy use. Thisapproach seemed to reduce the demandor "costs" of peer cooperation andresulted in generalized effects whenChildren were paired with new buddies.

ConclusionThis buddy skills training procedure was

designed to support the goal of friendship develop-ment in integrated preschool settings. Educatorswill learn a relatively simple set of steps to facili-tate friendships among children with and withoutdisabilities.

9 3

CHAPTER

This cycle of buddy trainingis repeated until

the teacher concludes thatboth members of the buddy

pair have learned...to play and share in a waythat is mutually enjoyable.

a0

TWO

idelines

Overview of TrainingSequence

To follow the training sequence, a set of defini-tions is required. Typically developing children,who receive the first component of training, arereferred to as "trained buddies." Children withdisabilities, who later receive joint training withtrained buddies, are identified as "buddy partners."

As a teacher you will want to conduct aninitial assessment of social interactions in thepreschool classroom (step 1) and then begin thebuddy skills training with a pretraining/sensitiza-lion lesson (step 2). Conduct the actual buddytraining (step 3), which consists of three buddysteps (stay, play, talk). Then pair a trained buddyto use the buddy steps with a child with a disabil-ity in at least three activities across the day (step4). Provide reminders and positive reinforcement(step 5) and evaluate the effectiveness of thetraining (step 6). Typically, the first few evalua-tions suggest that the social interactions are notyet mutually satisfactory (step 7). If this is thecase, identify a social skill that will help both thetrained buddy and the buddy partner interact(step 8). Add this new skill to the original threebuddy steps to support the development of acommon repertoire of social skills for the buddypair, who from this point on are trained together(step 9). Buddy pairs again use their new skills

5

across the day (repeat step 4), supported byreminders and reinforcers (repeat step 5). Theteacher evaluates the effectiveness of the training(repeat step 6).

This cycle of buddy training is repeated untilthe teacher concludes from the evaluation thatboth members of the buddy pair have learned tounderstand each other's communication styles

and are able to play and share in a way that ismutually enjoyable (step 10). Once you deter-mine that buddy interactions are satisfactory, youmay phase out the use of reminders and reinforc-ers (step 11).

Figure 1.1 presents a flowchart of the trainingsequence. An overview of the training sequence isfollowed by specific guidelines for each step.

MEM

Buddy Training:Stay Play Talk

ImplementBuddy Steps Across

the Day

LI 4Train Buddy

Pair With AdditionalSocial Skill(s)

8 4Identify a

Social Skill forBuddy Pair

Figure 1.1

Flowchart of Buddy SkillsTraining Program

Support Use With Remindersand Positive Reinforcement

Evaluate:Satisfactory Interactions Occurring?

NO(Identify Behaviors

InhibitingInteraction)

Fade OutReminders andReinforcements

6

Step 1: Initial AssessmentObjectivesTeachers will obtain objective information todetermine the extent to which a child with adisability socially interacts in the classroom. Thispreliminary information will provide answers tothe following questions: (1) How often does achild with a disability interact with other children,compared to typically developing classmates?(2) How often does the child with a disabilityinteract with adults, compared to typicallydeveloping classmates?

RationaleWithout intervention, social interactions aretypically observed as follows: (1) A child with adisability interacts very infrequently with otherchildren, compared to typically developingclassmates. (2) A child with a disability interactsvery frequently with adults in comparison totypically developing classmates.

The interactions may be depicted as follows(A = adult, CD = child with disability, TDCtypically developing classmates):

TDC,\

\CD A TDC

TDCA)

The purpose of the buddy skills trainingprogram is to provide preschool children socialstrategies to alter interactions in the followingways: (1) A child with a disability will interactmore frequently with classmates. (2) A child witha disability will interact less frequently with adults(to allow for an increase in social opportunitieswith classmates). (3) Typically developingclassmates will interact with a child with a

disability to the same extent as they would withother children.

The pattern of interactions would then bedepicted as follows:

StrategiesWe suggest you use a tracking system to conductthe initial assessment. Observe for short periods(for example, for 4 minutes) during differentdaily activities to count the number of socialinteractions of a particular child with a disabilityand of typically developing children.

Our recommended assessment strategyrequires time to observe and record socialbehaviors. These observations can be conductedby an educator, classroom aide, parent, or otherclassroom volunteer.

Figure 2 can be used to record the number ofsocial interactions of children and adults in anintegrated preschool. Figure 2 is designed torecord interactions for all participants before andafter buddy training. With this generic form it isimportant to circle "pre" or "post," as applicable.Note that the subject is the child being tracked.

An interaction is any social or communicativebehavior, either verbal or nonverbal. Examplesinclude: making a comment, asking or answeringa question, touching an arm to gain attention,handing a toy or accepting a toy, pulling on asleeve, and laughing. Collect samples of socialinteractions in 3- or 4-minute segments. Use oneform for each sample.

12 7

Figure 2

Tracking Social InteractionChild's name (subject): Date: Length of Observation:

Check one: Pre Post Buddy Skills Training Time:

S = Subject A = Adult CD = Child with Disability TDC = Typically Developing Child

Directions:1. To track who initiated a verbal or nonverbal social interaction or responded (verbally or nonverbally), circle

the person's code letter. Each S-A-CD-TDC column represents one interaction.

2. To track the subject of any initiation, draw a line between the initiator and the subject in two adjoining columns.

S S S S S S S S S S SS S

A A A A A A A A A A A A A

CD CD CD CD CD CD CD CD CD CD CD CD CD

TDC TDC TDC TDC TDC TDC TDC TDC TDC TDC TDC TDC TDC

S S SS SS S S S S SS S




S S S S S S S S S S S SSA A A A A A A A A A A A A



Total # of interactions: Subject (count the "S"s circled)(initiations + responses) Adult (count the "A"s circled)

Child w/Disabilities (count the "CD"s circled)Typ. Dev. Child (count the "TDC"s circled)

Comments:

8

Figure 3

Tracking Social Interaction: Example (MG)Child's name (subject): MG" Date: 14-/6 Length of Observation: (4- milt .

Check one: EfPre Post Buddy Skills Training





Time: 11:00

02: S el S S

A A A 0 A A

CD CD CD CD CD CD CD

TDC TDC TDC TDC TDC TDC

0 S S S

A A A A A

CD CD CD CD CD CD

TDC TDC TDC TDC TDC TDC TDC

S S S S S S S S S S S S S








Total # of interactions: Subject L (count the "S"s circled)(initiations + responses) Adult 3 (count the "A"s circled)

Child w/Disabilities 0 (count the "CD"s circled)Typ. Dev. Child 0 (count the "TDC"s circled)

Comments: MG observed oftker alkifdr&-vt $ was istferest6d 1st

fk6ir but wL&e -st sk& caff6d a clkifd'sshz did of 14tag6 61t6 co-wt-act, 4 tiAz cfassmaf-6did -Kof Itofic6 tAzr tottf6vm-pf.

149

Figure 3 is a completed Tracking SocialInteraction form for a child with a disability (S =subject). In this example, the observer noted that,in this 4-minute time frame, the subject interactedwith other people six times, four times with anadult (A), and once with a typically developingchild (TDC), and once with another child with adisability (CD). Each time the subject initiated averbal or nonverbal interaction to an adult, "S"was circled, and a line drawn to an "A" (adult).When the adult responded (verbally ornonverbally), an "A" was circled. (A circled letterindicates that this person initiated contact with oractively responded to another person.) Althoughthe subject initiated an interaction to a typicallydeveloping child (TDC) and another child with adisability (CD), those children did not respond(note the lack of a circle). A break in a set ofconnected lines indicates that some time elapsed,and a new set of interactions began.

The length of interactions can be measuredby counting the number of lines that connect eachexchange. Observers are encouraged to describethe interactions in the Comments section, to helpanalyze the nature of a CD's communicative intentand obstacles and set teaching goals. For ex-ample, a child with a disability may initiate withclassmates frequently but unsuccessfully, perhapsbecause of a soft voice, lack of eye contact, or astyle that is too aggressive. Or a child with adisability may respond to an initiation only whenit is accompanied by a tactile cue; for thissituation, teaching goals may include showing atypically developing child how to use tactile cuesand training the child with a disability to respondto auditory cues.

We suggest you also collect interactionsamples of the children who will receive the firstcomponent of the buddy skills training. Werecommend that the observer collect several 4-

10

,1 A,

minute samples from a variety of activities toobtain a fair representation of the interactionsoccurring in the classroom. (When tracking atypically developing child, that child is identifiedas the subject.) These samples then can beaveraged to provide an indication of the overallsocial interactions in the classroom. Your specificgoals for buddy skills training are taken fromthese data. In general, your goals should be (1)to increase the number and/or length of theinteractions of the child with a disability, and (2)to encourage trained buddies to interact withtheir buddy partners at the approximate level atwhich they interact with other typically developingchildren.

SummaryConducting an initial assessment serves twopurposes: (1) to provide information regardingthe number of social interactions of the childrenwith and without disabilities, and (2) to deter-mine an appropriate goal (i.e., number ofinteractions) for the children who will bematched as buddies.

Alternative Assessment StrategyConducting an initial assessment as describedabove is strongly recommended to help theteacher set goals for the buddy training. However,circumstances do not always allow for thispreliminary step, especially when there is ashortage of available adults. (Assessments shouldbe conducted by an observer while class isprogressing as usual.)

The teacher may need to rely on past re-search to establish an initial training goal for thebuddy pair. We have found that an average of fiveto eight interactions per 3-minute session is areasonable starting goal in buddy training.

15

Self CheckWe encourage readers to stop here and checkyour understanding of the following questions:

1. Without intervention, what types of socialinteractions are typically observed amongadults, typically developing children, andchildren with disabilities?

2. What is the value of conducting an initialassessment of social interactions in theclassroom?

Figure 1.2

Step 2

Initial Assessment

Pretraining

Step 2: PretrainingOnce you have completed the initial assessment ofsocial interactions in the classroom, you areready to conduct a pretraining unit.

ObjectivesTeachers will conduct a two-session pretrainingunit that will sensitize all students in the class-room to many types of communication abilitiesand their effects on socialization. Teachers willlead discussions on three topics: (1) differentways children in their class might communicate;(2) different ways to respond to these communi-cation attempts; and (3) the concepts of "friend-ship" and "being a buddy."

Students will learn that fellow classmatespossess a wide variety of communicative andsocial skills. Students will learn how to recognizethe intention of some communicative attemptstypically seen in their classroom.

RationaleChildren often fail to notice or sometimesmisinterpret the communicative or play attemptsof a child with a disability. Sensitization willincrease preschoolers' recognition and under-standing of these communicative attempts. Anawareness of individual styles of communicationis a prerequisite to learning subsequent buddyskills.

Strategy, Session 1: DifferentWays of Communicating

Recommended PreparationThe teacher, a classroom aide, or a volunteer canvideotape communicative attempts typical amongclassmates. With parents' written consent,teachers can use videotaped samples of class-mates with and without disabilities at play to helpchildren focus on, recognize, and interpret theintended meaning of subtle or ambiguouscommunicative acts. After videotaping, teacherswill want to review tapes and identify by indexnumber five or six behaviors that will most likelystimulate discussion.

A Sample Session 1The teachers and children view a 2-minutevideotape of a 4-year-old girl sitting at a table.They observe the following: (1) She tries threetimes to get the attention of children walking by.But her speech is not clear and she is ignored.(2) She gets up and pulls on the hand of an adult,leading the adult to the table. (3) She points to adisassembled puzzle on the table.

1611

The teacher asks the students: What did thegirl want? How did she try to get what she wanted?How did she tell other children? Why didn't otherchildren answer her? How did she tell the adultwhat she wanted without using words?

After that sample is considered, the teacheradvances the tape to another segment of aclassmate who throws a toy after trying unsuc-cessfully to participate in a play interaction. Thesame kinds of questions are asked. Each segmentis discussed in the same manner.

Alternative Video StrategyIf videotaping in class is not an option, theteacher can show a supplemental videotapeprepared by the authors. This tape consists of 102-minute samples of children with disabilities andincludes a set of suggested questions for discus-sion. To order this video, contact author Dr.Howard Goldstein, Department of CommunicationDisorders, Regional Rehabilitation Center, FloridaState University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-2007.

Alternative Role-Playing StrategyIf video playing is not an option, the teachermight role play some of the communicative andplay behaviors observed in the classroom.

For example, the teacher might emulate thecommunication efforts of the child describedabove or of a specific child in class. The behav-iors can be acted out with another adult or with astudent, and then discussed as indicated above.

Session ConclusionSession 1 ends with positive reinforcement(praise or stickers) for the students for learningto recognize the different ways their classmatesmay try to communicate and play with them.

Strategy, Session 2: DifferentWays of Responding; Being aBuddy

A Sample Session 2Briefly review main points of the previous session.After discussing how children use differentabilities to communicate, lead discussion towardhelpful ways to respond appropriately. Theteacher asks the students:

What should we do if we can't understandwhat our buddy is saying?

Show me how you can ask a buddy to saysomething again.

What does it mean if a buddy reaches for atoy? Show me how to ask a buddy to "say itslower."

What questions will help you understandwhat your buddy wants? (For example, theclassmate might be encouraged to ask, "Doyou want this truck? Do you want to sharethis book with me?" Responses to suchquestions from a child with a disability maybe delayed or unclear. Children may need todiscuss the purpose of taking extra time tounderstand or to figure out how to answer.)

In the conclusion of this pretraining session,the teacher stresses that trying to understand whatsomeone wants is part of being a good buddy.Take time to discuss what the concepts of "friend-ship" and "being a buddy" mean to the children.For example, the teacher may ask, "Tell me whata friend is. Is a friend the same thing as a buddy?Do buddies help each other? Play together? Is it agood feeling to be a friend or buddy? How wouldyou want a friend to play with you, make youfeel?"

12 .17

Session ConclusionClose the session by telling the students that theywill soon be asked to learn easy buddy steps.Their cooperation will be important to the class.

Self Check1. What is the goal of a pretraining "sensitiza-

tion" session?

2. What are the three topics addressed in thepretraining session?

3. How can videotapes and/or role-playing helpchildren recognize different communicativeand social behaviors?

4. What kind of questions will lead children toconsider the intent of nonverbal or ambigu-ous verbal communicative attempts?

Figure 1.3

Step 3

Initial Assessment

Pretraining


Step 3: Buddy Training

ObjectivesTeachers will teach children to interact usingthree "buddy steps" designed to promote positive

social interactions among classmates. The buddysteps form a set of interactive strategies requiringstudents to: (1) stay with their friend; (2) playwith their friend; and (3) talk with their friend.Teachers will guide students through two trainingsessions. Teachers will monitor progress duringtraining to determine the students' ability to usethe buddy steps.

Students will learn buddy skills through a setof training and practice sessions that incorporatedirect instruction, teacher modeling, peermodeling, and guided practice with a classmate.Students will be expected to show mastery ofbuddy steps, using the buddy steps with a childwith disabilities.

RationaleEven when sensitized to the communicative orplay attempts of children with disabilities,classmates most likely do not know what to donext. Providing classmates with a set of generalsocial-skill strategies (buddy steps) will encour-age them to initiate and maintain interactionsnecessary for the development of relationshipswith children with disabilities.

StrategyTraining should be conducted in an area wherethe children can move around and practice thestrategies without distraction. Needed materialsinclude: table toys, snack items, and other itemsfrequently used in the classroom (crayons,puzzles, etc.). The following set of sample scriptsconveys the content of the training. Phrasesprinted in bold print indicate the responsesexpected from students.

Note that this stage of buddy skills training isfor typically developing children; children withdisabilities receive training at step 9, explainedlater.

18 13

Lesson 1Lesson 1 teaches two buddy steps: (1) to stay withyour friend and (2) to play with your friend.

Teacher Script"Today we are going to talk about being a goodbuddy. The last time we talked about being abuddy, we watched videotapes together. We sawchildren trying to get the attention of a friend ora teacher. Some of the children were trying to playwith somebody in their class, but nobody waswatching them or helping them to get what theyneeded.

"Those children in the tape needed a buddy!They needed a friend who would play with them.For the next few days we are going to talk aboutthe kinds of things that you can do that will makeit easy for you to be a good buddy with someonein our class.

"The first step to being a good buddy is tostay with your friend. To do this you have to seewhere your buddy is and pay attention to whatyour buddy is doing. So the first thing to remem-ber is to stay with your friend.

"What is the first thing you do when you're abuddy?" Stay with your friend.

"When you stay with your buddy, you willwant to say something. Usually friends say, 'Hi,' or`Can I play with you?' Saying something lets yourfriend know you want to be buddies.

"Now let's talk about the kinds of things youcan say to your buddy. Remember, you want topay attention to your buddy and you want to helpyour buddy pay attention to you, so what kinds ofthings do you think would be good to say to yourbuddy?"

Let the children think of possibilities andthen add suggestions. Examples:

"Hi."

14

The friend's name

"Good morning."

"Can I play with you?"

"What are you doing?"

"That looks like fun. You're making apuzzle."

"When you stay with your buddy, that meansjoining them where they are playing, and movingwith them if they move. Suppose you are asked tobe someone's buddy; you see your buddy playingwith blocks, and you are in the kitchen. What doyou think you should do?" Go and stay withyour friend.

"That's right, wherever your friend goes, that'swhere you should go. So if your friend moves to theblocks, what should you do?" Move to the blocks.

"A good buddy stays with the friend evenwhen that friend moves around to different toys.

"Okay, we said that the first step to being agood buddy is: Stay with your friend. Now weare going to talk a little bit about what to do next.The best way to let your friend know you want tobe buddies is to play with him or her. So first youstay with your friend and then you play withyour friend.

"Let's say the 'buddy steps' together:"

Stay with your friend.

Play with your friend.

"What are some ways we play with a buddy?"Guide answers along these lines:

Share, use the same toys.Take turns.

Bring a toy over.

Ask a buddy to play with you.

"Now we are going to practice being a goodbuddy. First you will watch me. Then you will get aturn to practice."

9

Role PlayThe teacher models the first two buddy steps withanother adult, if possible, or with one of thechildren. As a model, an adult will role-play achild with low-level communication skills whomoves from one activity to another.

Give each child at least two chances topractice the "stay and play" steps. "Play" hereimplies all age-appropriate engagement ofmaterials or participation in activities. For thispractice session, the buddy should be an adultwho is role-playing a child with low-level commu-nication skills. Encourage the children to saysomething different to introduce themselves eachtime they take a practice turn. After each turn,talk about what the child did correctly; if im-provements need to be made, encourage thestudent to think of what to do next. If he or she isunable to respond, ask the other students to help

with suggestions. In this example, Martinaremembers to "stay" but can't seem to think ofanything to do to get her friend's attention:

"Martina, I really liked the way you moved tobe with your buddy, but you need to do somethingso she knows you're paying attention and wouldlike to play with her. Can you think of somethingto do?" No response.

"Okay, let's help Martina think of some thingsto do."

Allow children to make suggestions (touchchild's arm, smile, ask for a toy, comment ontoys) and then give Martina another chance topractice.

Charting Student ProgressThe teacher can keep a record of each child'sprogress using the recording sheet shown inFigure 4.

Figure 4

Student Progress Chart, Lesson 1

Child's NameSession #1:

stay playSession #2:stay play

Session #3:stay play

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Directions: Use a check to indicate that the child has used two buddy steps for 3 minutescorrectly without prompting. Goal: two consecutive checks for each child.

1520

"You all worked hard at being a good buddytoday. Before we finish, tell me the buddy steps welearned today: Stay with your friend, and playwith your friend.

"Yes, stay and play. The next time we aretogether we will talk more about being a goodbuddy and have the chance to practice again.Good work, everybody."

Lesson 2In lesson 2, a third step is added to the two buddysteps learned in lesson 1. In lesson 2, childrenlearn to talk as well as stay and play with theirbuddies. Children will be encouraged to talkabout toys, describe what they and their buddiesare doing with toys, or about activities occurringin the classroom.

Teacher's Script"The last time we talked about being a goodbuddy, we talked about two buddy steps. Let's saythem together: Stay with your friend, and playwith your friend. That's right, stay and play.When you are asked to be a buddy, what kinds ofthings can you first say to your friend?"

Answers should be attention-gettingintroductions as from the previous lesson:

"Hi."

Your friend's name

"What are you doing?"

"Let's play cars together."

"That's right, you remembered. Now, how doyou play with a friend?"

Answers again should be similar to theprevious discussion:

Share, play with the same toys.

Take turns.

Bring a toy over.

16

"Now, there's one more step to being a buddyand that is to talk with your friend. This step isreally important because your friend may not talka lot. It will help your buddy when you play withhim or her. (The teacher lays out some toys.)

"I want you to look at these toys and think ofsome things you could say about them."

Pick a toy and allow each child to say onething about that toy; for example, describe itsattributes, such as its color, its uses, and thingsyou can do with it. For example, choose a carand begin to play with it.

"Martina, what can you tell me about thiscar?"

It's red.

"That's right, it's red. What else about thiscar, Bill?"

I have one of those at home. It goesreally fast.

"So we can say the car is red, and fast. Whatelse, Marcus?"

You're pushing it backwards.

"It goes both ways, right? That's a good thingto say about the car."

Continue practice talking about materialsand activities. Use a variety of toys to simulatesnack time and other activities, so that stu-dents will see that the steps may be generalizedto a variety of activities across the day.

"We have learned three buddy steps alltogether. They were: Stay with your friend, playwith your friend, and talk with your friend. Let'sjust say it this way: Stay, play, and talk with yourfriend. Now, you tell me the buddy steps." Stay,play, and talk with your friend.

Role PlayThe teacher gives each child a turn to practice allthree steps with an adult who is once again role-

playing a child with limited communication skills.Encourage the children to talk a lot and to say avariety of things. Also encourage the childrenwatching in the group to pay close attention to thesteps and to offer suggestions about things to talkabout. Instruct the children that when they aregiven a signal (a "thumb's up" or "okay" sign),their buddy time is up. They can then choose tostay or select another activity.

Charting Student ProgressThe teacher can keep a record of each child'sprogress with the Figure-5 recording sheet, similarto the recording sheet for lesson 1 with the additionof the third "talk" step. When a child has used thethree steps of the buddy skills two times in a row for3 minutes without prompting or intervention fromthe adult, he or she is ready to use the threebuddy steps with a child with a disability.

Conclusion"Today we learned that the last buddy step is totalk to your buddy. Together the three steps arestay, play, and talk with your friend. Tell me thethree buddy steps: Stay, play, and talk withyour friend. You all worked hard again today,and this is the last time we're going to be in a grouplike this because it's time to practice your buddysteps with friends in the classroom. Before we finish,let's say the buddy steps one more time: Stay, play,and talk with your friend. Good job!"

Buddy AssignmentsAs you transition from training into implementa-tion, we recommend that the buddy assignments(a child with a disability and a typically develop-ing child) be daily and long-term rather thanintermittent or short-term. Relationships requiretime to develop, and too-brief or too-inconsistent

Figure 5

Student Progress Chart, Lesson 2

Child's NameSession #1:

stay play talkSession #2:

stay play talkSession #3:

stay play talk

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Directions: Use a check to indicate that the child has used three buddy steps correctly withoutprompting. Goal: two consecutive checks for each child.

lT 22 17

assignments do not allow buddy pairs to get toknow each other well. Same-gender pairing isalso recommended as a normative practiceamong preschoolers. Child characteristics toconsider in trained buddies (typically developingchildren) are social maturity and ability toempathize.

Self Check1. What are the three buddy steps?

2. How can the three buddy steps increaseinteraction between children with andwithout disabilities?

3. What kinds of materials will you need topractice the application of the three buddysteps across the school day in your class-room?

Figure 1.4

Step 4

Initial Assessment

Pretraining


+

BuddyImplement

Steps Acrossthe Day

18

Step 4: ImplementBuddy Steps

ObjectivesTeachers will identify at least three activitiesthroughout the day in which to encourage thepractice of buddy steps (for example, free play,snack, and a structured small-group activity).

Students will practice the three buddy steps(stay, play, talk) in the context of a variety ofactivities with a buddy partner.

RationaleIt would not be appropriate to suggest to childrenthat "being a buddy" is an expectation for onespecified time of the day. Nor is it appropriate tosuggest that two children stay with each other allday, not seeking out other friends. Practicingbuddy steps several times a day provides increasedopportunity for a buddy pair to get to know eachother's communicative intents. Practicing buddysteps in a variety of settings across the day helpschildren learn to generalize to other activities aswell.

StrategiesAfter children have learned the three buddy steps(stay, play, talk) they will be asked to besomeone's buddy in the classroom. Assignedbuddy partners are asked to practice these steps inthe classroom within the context of everydayactivities.

Most preschool activities are conducive tosharing, talking, and interaction. To promotebuddy interactions across the day, the teachershould identify at least three such activities thatprovide a supportive context for practicing thethree buddy steps.

At the beginning of the day, the teacherinforms a trained buddy (a typically developingchild) that he or she will be a buddy with a child

23

with a disability (his or her buddy partner).Briefly review the three buddy steps, and ask ifthe child can think of some ways to use them inthe upcoming activity.

For example: "Good morning, Jeremiah. In acouple minutes it will be time to be a buddy withKim. Do you remember the three buddy steps wetalked about? They were 'stay, play, talk.' (Expandas needed.) Right now it's free play time, and Kimis at the table, but there are no toys there. Whatwill you do first? What can you talk about? I'll bewatching to see how it goes. I'll give you an 'okay'sign when your buddy time is up."

After a few days, this "warm up" speech canbe phased out.

Depending on the activity and the ability ofthe child with a disability to carry a conversation,direction may be needed to help develop ideas onwhat to talk about. Suggestions include: (1)snack time: color, taste, texture of the food ordrink, comparing it to other favorite foods ordrinks; the cups, napkins, etc.; (2) art: asking for,sharing the materials; describing the activity ofpainting, gluing; (3) playtime: talking about themovement of the ball as it rolls between buddies,taking turns shooting baskets and pretending tobe Michael Jordan, pushing each other onswings; (4) sociodramatic play: clothing, rolesassumed, jobs assigned, planning out the activity;(5) small-group activities: telling stories frombooks in the reading corner, constructing withblocks and other objects, sensory experiences inscience/discovery center; (6) clean-up: locationof materials, uses of soap and sponges.

To minimize the demand for cooperation (a"cost" mentioned in chapter 1), give a trainedbuddy a cue after 3 or 4 minutes to indicate thebuddy time is up. At this point, a trained buddycan choose to continue playing with the buddypartner or move to another activity. Teachers can

choose to give no signal if children are engagedin activity and the signal might be a disruption.

Self Check1. Which three activities in your classroom did

you identify as conducive to practicing thethree buddy steps? Are there more than three?

2. What are the advantages to practicing buddysteps across the day?

Step 5: Reminders andReinforcements

ObjectivesTeachers will provide reminders to trainedbuddies when encouragement or assistance isneeded for initiating and maintaining buddy steps.

RationaleAlthough children are given several opportunitiesto practice the three buddy steps during training,they may need to be reminded or prompted touse them during the first opportunities with achild with a disability (a buddy partner). Astrained buddies interact with their buddy partnersin the classroom and successfully use the buddysteps, verbal and tangible positive reinforcersshould be provided.

StrategiesThe teacher provides prompts to encourage andmaintain interactions between trained buddiesand their buddy partners. Trained buddies will bepositively reinforced for using the three buddysteps during the three activities selected by theteacher. As children become more comfortableand proficient at being buddies, prompting willbe reduced or discontinued. At first reinforcersare provided at the end of each activity, but theyare eventually delayed to occur only at the end ofthe day.

2419

Initial Assessment


ImplementBuddy Steps Across 1*

the Day

Figure 1.5

Step 5


To help get buddies off to a good start, theteacher should provide a brief reminder of thethree buddy steps. It is also helpful to make playor talking suggestions. For example: "Goodmorning, Marcus. I'm happy you will be Corey'sbuddy today. Do you remember the three buddysteps? Let's say them together: Stay, play, and talk.Good job. Remember, you will be Corey's buddyseveral times today so you can start right now Isee him in the sandbox, why don't you go overand play with him there?"

In this instance, morning sandbox play wasone of the teacher's three activities selected forobservation. When children are first learning tobe buddies, the teacher should give them sometime (perhaps 2 minutes) before prompting.Sometimes children need a few minutes to decideon what to talk about. If after the first 2 minutesthe buddy is still having difficulty using the buddysteps, provide a reminder to stay, play, and talk. If

20

the buddy gets off to agood start but stopstalking, or gets involvedin his own play, areminder of just onestep may be needed,such as, "Remember totalk to your friend." Orthe teacher may need tobe more specific, suchas, "Talk about whatyou are doing with thesand."

At the end of eachactivity, the teachershould provide thetrained buddy withfeedback. If the trainedbuddy used the buddysteps appropriately and

the number of interactions was near the goal (asdetermined by the data collected in the InitialAssessment), provide positive reinforcement withpraise ("Good job! You really know how to be abuddy") and tangible reinforcers (e.g., stickersor stamps on a page).

If the trained buddy did not meet the in-tended goal, constructive feedback is helpful.("Jamie, you tried nicely to be Shawna's buddytoday. I liked the way you asked her to share theblocks, and she gave you some. Doesn't that makeyou feel good? Maybe the next time you couldremember to talk even more to Shawnathatwould make her feel good, too!")

The teacher can provide reminders during allthree activities chosen for the day, and providereinforcements at the end of each activity or at theend of the day. At the end of the day, trainedbuddies should be given a summary of the "buddyday" regarding what they did well and how theymight improve next time.

25

As typically developing children becomemore proficient at being trained buddies, andmore comfortable with the communication styleof their new friends, interactions occur morenaturally and the "rewards" of being a buddy andhaving a new friend are obvious. As this happens,the need for reminders during and reinforcersafter each activity should lessen.

Self Check1. Why is it important to provide trained

buddies with reminders and reinforcementsduring the early buddy interactions?

Step 6: Evaluation

ObjectivesTeachers will evaluate the effectiveness of thetrained buddy's use of the three buddy steps.Teachers will determine:(1) how the trainedbuddy is using thebuddy steps, and (2)how the child with adisability responds tothe buddy's attempts atbeing a friend.

RationaleFriendships betweenchildren with disabilitiesand children withoutdisabilities may requirea great deal of supportand encouragement.Simply teaching buddysteps will usually notensure mutually satisfy-ing interactions;observation and evalua-tion of the use of buddy

steps is essential in determining the effectivenessof the training. Because of the differences amongall children, it is difficult to predict how welltrained buddies will implement their new socialstrategies, and how well their buddy partners willrespond to the strategies.

StrategiesThe teacher observes and evaluates the qualityand quantity of the interaction resulting from thetrained buddy's use of the buddy steps.

Observations may consider both the qualityand quantity of the social interactions betweenbuddies. The quantity of interactions can berecorded on the Tracking Social Interactionsform (see Figure 2).

To evaluate the quality of interactionsbetween a trained buddy and a child with a

Initial Assessment

Pretraining



the Day

Figure 1.6

Step 6

ri



BEST COPY AVAILABleEs, 26 21

disability, the observer (teacher, aide, or volun-teer) should make note of the following behaviorsat all three activities across the day:

Does the trained buddy stay near the buddypartner?

Does the trained buddy initiate interactionsappropriately and effectively?

Does the child with a disability respond to thetrained buddy's initiations?

Does the child with a disability initiateinteractions appropriately and effectively withthe trained buddy?

Does the trained buddy respond to the buddypartner's initiations in a socially appropriatemanner? If there are few or no initiations orresponses by the child with a disability,perhaps the activity is not conducive tosharing, talking, or working/playing together.If that is your determination, ask the trainedbuddy to try the three buddy steps withanother activity. If the original activity isdetermined to be appropriate, the lownumber of interactions themselves will needto be addressed.

If the buddy partner is making initiations andresponses, are they positive or negative? Howwould the interactions be described? Do the twochildren interact, or do they engage in parallelplay? Is this developmentally appropriate? Do thetwo children make eye contact, take turns, sharetoys, seem to enjoy each other's company? Or isthere conflict, resistance, noncompliance, lack ofinterest?

In the example in Figure 6, the trained buddy(subject) initiated twice, with no response fromthe child with a disability (CD); then the childwith a disability did respond to the third initia-tion. The trained buddy initiated again, receivingno response from the child with a disability; later,

22

the child with a disability initiated, and the trainedbuddy responded. Finally, the trained buddy alsoinitiated to another typically developing child(TDC), who responded.

Compare these numbers to the averagenumber of interactions obtained from the InitialAssessment of the trained buddy. This comparisonwill allow you to determine if the number ofinteractions between the trained buddy and childwith a disability is approaching that of the trainedbuddy with other classmates.

To obtain a fairly accurate overall impressionof the quality and quantity of interactions,observations should be conducted for two orthree days, at all three activities.

When both the quality and quantity of buddy-pair interactions have been considered, theteacher then decides whether the interactions aresatisfactory or unsatisfactory. If satisfactory, theteacher proceeds to training step 10. If not yetsatisfactory, the teacher continues on to trainingstep 7.

Self Check1. How will you use the information collected

from your evaluation observations?

Step 7: Identify BehaviorsInhibiting Interaction

ObjectivesTeachers will recognize when interactions are notsatisfactory. Teachers will identify a social orcommunicative behavior that prevents or inhibitsa satisfactory interaction between a trained buddyand a target child.

RationaleWhen first using the three buddy steps, manychildren have difficulty generalizing to different

27

Figure 6

Tracking Social Interaction: Example (LKD)Child's name (subject): L-K D (trained buddy) Date: 9/6 Length of Observation: If 1U It.

Check one: 0 Pre ElPost Buddy Skills Training Time: 9:00 imit.





S S S s s 0 S S




S S SS S S S S S S S S S




S S SS S S S S S SS S S




Total # of interactions: Subject b (count the "S"s circled)(initiations + responses) Adult 0 (count the "A"s circled)

Child w/Disabilities Z (count the "CD"s circled)Dev. Child I (count the "TDC"s circled)

Marx -kte&eis keip r&spo-vtailta L-K sictrioltsi koweverl .sk& s&evits covivPortabia witt&

ker biAdct's conpal.

Comments:

23

28

situations, or they may beunsure of what is expected ofthem. In addition, childrenwith disabilities may beunskilled at respondingappropriately, or may not haveskills to initiate an interactionwith their buddies. First trialstypically require some refine-ment. This means someadditional teaching is usuallynecessary to help buddy pairsresolve remaining social andcommunication difficulties.

StrategiesBased on observations, theteacher will identify a behaviorthat requires remediation toimprove the quality of thepair's interaction.

Behaviors that serve toinhibit satisfactory interactionsare fairly recognizable.Examples include:

The child with a disability(buddy partner) pushes a toy toward thetrained buddy, who does not notice thegesture.

The trained buddy talks nonstop but does notactually engage the buddy partner in play.

The buddy partner asks for help but gets noresponse and then does not repeat theattempt.

The trained buddy asks a question but doesnot give the buddy partner time to respond.

The trained buddy asks a question, but thebuddy partner does not realize a responsewas expected.

The buddy partner responds nonverbally to

24

Initial Assessment

Pretraining



the Day

Figure 1.7

Step 7


Evaluate:

Satisfactory Interactions Occurring?



the trained buddy, who does not recognize itas a response.

The buddy partner is not used to the trainedbuddy's attention and resists passively oraggressively.

The trained buddy continually tells the buddypartner what to do.

The buddy partner uses inappropriateverbalizations or physical aggression insteadof asking to share or play with the trainedbuddy.

When several interfering behaviors areobserved, you will need to prioritize them todetermine your next course of action. Firstidentify all behaviors that are in any way hurtful

or antagonistic. These are top priority. For secondpriority, identify one behavior that seems consis-tently and primarily to interfere with pair interac-tion. For remedial action, move on to step 8.

Self Check1. Describe three interfering behaviors you see

in your class.

Step 8: Identify a Social Skill

ObjectivesTeachers will identify an appropriate social orcommunicative skill needed to improve theinteraction between the trainedbuddy and the buddy partner.

RationaleAdditional teaching will benecessary to help the pairimprove the quality of theirinteractions. Working on onenew social skill at a time andworking with the pair togetherconveys the message thatfriendship is a mutual respon-sibility, and that each partici-pant is expected to providereciprocal support to theother's efforts.

StrategiesBased on observations of thepair's interactions, the teacherwill identify a communicativeor social behavior that shouldimprove the quality of thepair's interactions.

Consider the examples ofinhibiting behaviors listed inthe previous section. The

choice of social skill will develop from your ownobservations:

Breakdown: The buddy partner pushes a toytoward the trained buddy who does not notice thegesture.

New skill needed: The trained buddy needsto recognize that the buddy partner may usenonverbal communications. Focus on increasedvisual alertness.

Breakdown: The trained buddy talks nonstopbut does not actually engage the buddy partner inplay.

Initial Assessment

Pretraining


ImplementBuddy Steps Across [)'.

the Day

Figure 1.8

Step 8


Evaluate:




ti c3 025

New skill needed: The trained buddy needsto recognize that talking with friends means"taking turns with talking" (as with sharing toys).The trained buddy needs to wait for responses andwatch the buddy partner for nonverbal communi-cation.

Breakdown: The buddy partner asks for helpbut gets no response and then does not repeat theattempt.

New skill needed: The buddy partner needsencouragement to "keep trying" and to learn someattention-getting strategies: tapping the trainedbuddy's arm, looking at the buddy's face, signing"please" or "help."

Breakdown: The trained buddy asks aquestion but does not give the buddy partner timeto respond.

New skill needed: The trained buddy needs torecognize that there is no need to rush when commu-nicating with his or her buddy partner; waiting a bitwill give the partner time needed to respond.

Additional social skills will be identified asappropriate to the unique interactions of thebuddy pair. The following section will describehow to train social skills to the buddy pair.

Self CheckConsider the following examples of breakdowns insocial interactions. What would you consider to bean appropriate skill to help the trained buddy andthe buddy partner improve the quality of theirinteractions?

1. Breakdown: The trained buddy asks aquestion, but the buddy partner does notrealize a response was expected.

Social skill needed:

2. Breakdown: The buddy partner respondsnonverbally to the trained buddy who does notrecognize it as a response.

26


3. Breakdown: The buddy partner is not usedto the trained buddy's attention and resists,either passively or aggressively.


Step 9: Train Buddy PairObjectivesTo both the trained buddy and the buddy partner,teachers will teach an appropriate social skillcustomized to the unique interactions of thebuddy pair, to further enhance the reciprocity ofthe interactions.

Students will learn to adapt or modify asocial or communicative behavior in order toimprove the quality of interaction with theirbuddies.

RationaleWith this training cycle, both the trained buddyand the buddy partner can add to their individualrepertoires of social skills. This new phase ofshared training (i.e., including the child with adisability in social-skills training) helps the buddypair develop a common repertoire of social-communication skills. These common repertoiresand shared experiences are designed to enhancesocial interactions.

StrategiesUp to this point, buddy training has been directedtoward typically developing children. From thispoint on in the training sequence, we recommendthat the child with a disability be included inbuddy training. When the pair is trained together,each child learns and shares responsibility for theother's new social skill. Conduct this trainingacross the day in various activities and continueover several days, until you feel the new skill isestablished.

311.

Initial Assessment

Pretraining



the Day

U 4Train Buddy

Pair With AdditionalSocial Skill (s)

4Identify a

Social Skill forBuddy Pair

Figure 1.9

Step 9





If the breakdown is inattention to nonver-bal communications, you might unobtrusivelyparticipate in their play and point out when anonverbal gesture occurs; ask the trained buddyor buddy partner if he or she observed it andreinforce for watching and responding appropriately.

If the breakdown is nonreciprocatedcommunication, help the trained buddy or thebuddy partner to practice asking a question. Thendemonstrate how to wait and watch for a re-sponse. Initially reinforce every communicativeturn-taking behavior and fade reinforcement asturn-taking is maintained.

32

The trained buddy orbuddy partner may need to trydifferent questioning tech-niques. For example, ask onequestion at a time; use thebuddy's name; use a visualcue when asking (pointing,picking up a toy); or tap anarm to get the buddy'sattention. Reinforce the pairfor practicing a variety ofquestioning strategies.

If the breakdown isresistance to play sugges-tions, remind the pair thatboth of them are learning tobe friends and both of themwill try to play together, share,etc. Then both children arereinforced when they share aplay activity.

Once the new skill isfirmly established, proceed asbefore, by (1) reminding thepair to use their new socialskill across the day; (2)supporting the use of thesocial skill with prompts and

reinforcements; and (3) conducting a series ofobservations to evaluate effectiveness.

Self Check1. What is the purpose of training the buddy

pair together?

2. How would you teach the buddy pair toaddress the following:

a. unintelligible speech by the child with adisability?

b. unclear intent by the child with adisability?

27

c. overuse of questions by the trainedbuddy?

d. nonstop and/or one-way conversation bythe trained buddy?

Step 10: SatisfactoryInteraction Occurring

ObjectivesTeachers will determine that the relationshipbetween the trained buddy and buddy partner hasdeveloped into a friendship. The teachers willjudge that interactions between both buddies arepositive and reciprocal.

Students will demonstratea relationship that is mutuallyenjoyable and satisfying.Communication and playbehaviors between the buddiesare understood and respondedto in an appropriate manner.

RationaleThe goal of buddy training is topromote both sensitivity andspecific skills that will facilitatefriendships in an integratedpreschool classroom. After youhave trained typically develop-ing children and then includedchildren with disabilities inbuddy skills training, buddypairs practice the three buddysteps and other individualizedsocial skills, to recognize andrepair behaviors that inhibitsocial interactions. Over time,a mutually satisfying relation-ship should be observable.

28

StrategiesAfter cycling through the training procedures forboth buddies (steps 4 through 9), the teacher willdetermine whether the quality and quantity of thepair's interactions are mutually satisfying.

Mutually satisfying interactions exhibitbehaviors such as sharing, taking turns, andunderstanding each other's communicativeintents. These behaviors replace behaviors thatinitially inhibited satisfactory interactions.

Regarding the quality of the interactions, theteacher should be able to answer the followingquestions in the affirmative:

Initial Assessment

Pretraining



the Day

Figure 1.10

Step 10


Evaluate:


Has a reciprocity developedin the buddy pair's abilitiesto accommodate to eachother's communicationlevels?

Are the types of interactionsdesirable?

Do the interactions suggestthat the two children enjoyeach other's company?

Has there been a generaliza-tion of the buddy skills? Thatis, have you observedpositive interactions betweenthe trained buddy and thebuddy partner in activitiesapart from the three selectedfor buddy play (transitiontimes, etc.)? Have youobserved an increase ininteractions between thechild with a disability andother classmates?

In addition, consider thequantity of the interactions. Bycollecting information with atracking chart, you should beable to observe that the numberof interactions between thetrained buddy and the buddypartner are at or near the levelof interactions observedbetween the trained buddy and other childrenfrom the Initial Assessment (step 1).

Self Check1. How will you determine that the buddy

training has been implemented fully?

2. How will you determine if there has been ageneralization of the buddy skills?

Initial Assessment

Pretraining

Figure 1.11

Step 11

I



the Day



III Fade OutReminders andReinforcements

4:-

Step 11: Fade Out Remindersand Reinforcements

ObjectivesTeachers will know when to allow reminders tobe faded. Any contrived reinforcers will beprovided to children less frequently, allowingnatural social reinforcers to take over.

29

Students will find buddy interactions to berewarding for their intrinsic merit and will relyless on adult intervention.

RationaleThe purpose of buddy training is to facilitateinteractions among preschoolers who havedifferent social and communication abilities.When children develop a shared repertoire ofplay activities and communication strategies, the"costs" of relationship development do not needcontinuous support from adult reminders andcontrived reinforcement.

StrategiesThe teacher will recognize when to fade remind-ers to the buddy pair to "stay, play, and talk" or topractice individualized buddy skills. Reduce theuse of reinforcers as the buddy pair begins toobtain intrinsic reward in the quality of itsinteractions.

Initially, teachers give reminders at thebeginning of each activity and during the activityas needed. Token reinforcers (such as stickers orstamps) and social reinforcers (praise) are alsoprovided at the end of each activity. Tokenreinforcers are soon fully replaced by praise.

If described as a schedule, this "fading out"process might look something like that shown inFigure 7.

As indicated by the nondescript labels of weekA, week B, etc., the time frame suggests that the useand fading out of reminders and reinforcers arehighly dependent upon the teacher's observations,evaluations, and modifications of the buddy skillstraining as necessary for each classroom.

Self Check1. How will you plan to reduce reminders to the

buddy pair to interact?

2. How will you stretch the schedule forreinforcers?

Figure 7

Sample Schedule for Reminders and Reinforcers

REMINDERS REINFORCERSAct. #1 Act. #2 Act. #3 Act. #1 Act. #2 Act. #3

Week A x x x TR TR TR

Week B x x x SR TR TR

Week C x x SR SR TR

Week D x SR SR SR

Act. = activities across the day

TR = token reinforcers (stickers, stamps)

SR = social reinforcers (praise)

30 3,3

Mrs. B was concerned because

Kari rarely interacted with theother children in the class.

Kari, a 4-year-old with Down syndrome, wasenrolled in Mrs. B's preschool class, whichconsisted of 18 children, 6 with moderatedisabilities and 12 typically developing children.Mrs. B was concerned because Kari rarelyinteracted with the other children in the class.Mrs. B took turns with the paraeducator and astudent teacher over the course of several weekscollecting three 4-minute samples of interactionassessment data per day for Kari and threetypically developing children in the class. Obser-vations of Kari during such activities as playtime,snack time, and activity time indicated a range ofzero to two interactions with classmates per 4-minute sample. The assessment also demon-strated that Kari was more likely to interact withthe adults in the classroom than with otherchildren (see Figure 8).

The assessments of the typically developingchildren revealed that they exhibited 3 to 25communicative acts with classmates during 4-minute observations. These children had signifi-cantly fewer interactions with adults than did Kari.For example, Josie, a 4-year-old typically develop-ing child and a potential buddy for Kari, inter-acted with classmates 8 to 15 times per 4-minutesample taken across several days (see Figure 9).

Josie seemed to be a particularly good choiceto be Kari's buddy, because the children were thesame age and gender and both seemed to spend a

4ot of time in the dramatic play corner, although4141,

31

Figure 8

Tracking Social Interaction: Example (Kari)Child's name (subject): Kari Date: 9/20 Length of Observation: 14- IM,itit.

Check one: &IPre Post Buddy Skills Training





Time: 9:00 it

0 S

A 0 A A

CD CD CD CD

A

CD CD










Total # of interactions: Subject L (count the "S"s circled)(initiations + responses) Adult S (count the "A"s circled)

Child w/Disabilities 0 (count the "CD"s circled)Typ. Dev. Child 0 (count the "TDC"s circled)

Kari wafak6s otker akiidr6-14, 4 014 occasiost approack6spfecm- aromp) bv-f- ker phetilta is -Kot

Itotickd b ofk6rs.

Conunents:

32

Figure 9

Tracking Social Interaction: Example (Josie)Child's name (subject): Tosia Date: l0/14- Length of Observation: LI-

Check one: &(Pre Post Buddy Skills Training





Time: (0:00 ClNl.

s s 0A A A A A

CD CD CD CD CD

TDC TDC TDC TDC TDC

A V A A A

CD CD CD CD CD

TDC TDC TDC TDC TDC

S S S S S

A A A A A

CD CD CD CD CD

TDC TDC TDC TDC TDC

Total # of interactions:(initiations + responses)

Comments:

s

CD

TDC

0 sA A

CD CD

TDC TDC

A

CD

TDC

s

A

CD

TDC

0A

CD

TDC

A

CD

TDC

Q© S S SSSA A A A A A A


TDC TDC TDC TDC TDC TDC

S SS S S S S

A A A A A A A



Subject 12 (count the "S"s circled)Adult 2 (count the "A"s circled)Child w/Disabilities 0 (count the "CD"s circled)Typ. Dev. Child 8 (count the "TDC"s circled)

Tosia figes fo pfam- w/bfocKs, rumlis, Kifclk&-x.Kari speltds a .ref deal? o-P tivit.e- ill Kit ak6-vt as wail

S

A

CD

A

CD

TDC

S

A

CD

TDC

9.833

Kari spent most of her time there watching theother children or playing on her own. Josie hadalso been noted for her maturity and kindnesstoward other children.

Mrs. B selected a Monday to conduct buddytraining with the 12 typically developing children,which included a sensitization session and twotraining sessions of the three buddy steps (stay,play, and talk with your buddy). At the end ofeach session, children received a sticker andpraise for their participation.

Because Mrs. B. and her staff felt they wantedto begin the application of the buddy projectslowly, they decided to assign only one ongoingbuddy pair. When it was clear that this first pairwas well established, they would assign a secondpair and somewhat later a third pair.

Josie and Kari were assigned as the firstbuddy pair. The staff's goal was to increase Kari'sinteractions with Josie to the approximate rangethat Josie had demonstrated with other children.On the first morning, Mrs. B reviewed the threebuddy steps with Josie and asked her to use thebuddy steps "for just a few minutes" during freeplay.

Josie approached Kari, said hi, and sat downat the table where Kari had been coloring. Josiewatched for a while, then asked if she couldcolor, too. Kari did not make eye contact but didnod her head once. As she colored Josie talkedabout the pumpkin shapes, the light and darkorange colors, and the jack-o-lantern her fatherhad carved the day before. (Like many buddies,Josie had an initial tendency to comment withoutwatching for cues to her buddy's efforts tointeract. If this pattern continued, Mrs. B wouldidentify a social skill to teach the buddy pair [step81increase the reciprocity of their interactions:watch, ask questions, respond to questions, etc.)

34

Because the staff was interested in minimiz-ing the demand for Josie's cooperation, Mrs. Bgave her an "okay" or "thumb's up" signal after 3or 4 minutes to indicate that her buddy time wasdone; she was then free to choose to continueplaying with her buddy or move to anotheractivity. Before free play was over, Josie received asticker to attach to a sheet that would go homewith her when 10 spaces were filled. Later thatday, Josie was also asked to "be a buddy" for 3minutes during snack time, and 3 minutes duringsmall-group activities (across-the-day interven-tion).

Each day Josie was asked to be Kari's buddyfor 3 to 4 minutes during three classroomactivities. Initially, Mrs. B reviewed the buddysteps every day and gave a sticker after everysession (three times a day). These prompts andtoken reinforcements were faded gradually andreplaced by social reinforcementspraise.

For the next 2 weeks, the interaction betweenKari and Josie continued to be monitored andrefined. For example, although Josie consistently"stayed" with Kari when asked, she appeareddiscouraged because Kari moved so frequentlyand rapidly from one activity to another. As aresult, Mrs. B trained the pair together to "stay"at one activity for 4 minutes and rewarded bothKari and Josie with stickers for meeting this goal.

Over the course of 18 days, Kari's socialinteractions increased, ranging from 6 to 12interactions per 4-minute sample (see Figure10). This rate of interaction approximated therate observed with Josie and her typically devel-oping classmates. To test generalization, on the19th day the classroom staff assigned anothertrained buddy (not Josie) to be a buddy with Kari.Kari interacted with this new buddy an average ofeight times in 4 minutes, still markedly higherthan her initial levels.

I 39

Figure 10

Tracking Social Interaction: Example (Kari-2)Child's name (subject): Kari Date: II/6 Length of Observation: if i$t.Check one: CI Pre 2rPost Buddy Skills Training Time: 2 :00 pit.

s. Subject A = Adult CD = Child with Disability TDC = Typically Developing Child




S QSA A

CD CD

TDC

S

A

CD

A

CD

TDC

S

A

CD

S

A

CD

S

A

CD

S

A

CD

S

A

CD

TDC TDC TDC TDC

Total # of interactions:(initiations + responses)

Comments: Kari is

wastfs

S

A

CD

S

A

CD

TDC TDC

SubjectAdultChild w/DisabilitiesTyp. Dev. Child

fofo stkotr& a f-

A A

CD CD CD

TDC TDC TDC

0A

CD

A A

CD CD CD

TDC TDC TDC

A A

CD CD

TDC TDC

S S S S S S

A A A A A A A



9 (count the "S"s circled)(count the "A"s circled)

0 (count the "CD"s circled)II (count the "TDC"s circled)

fOlACk. .osie's Ann. wk&st Sk&. JOsi& kas

of Kari, asK kzr fo fa 4 fafgTIA.& pair is o-P 4. seast

side i n f-ke sastdboX.

farstecl to fool<

abovt pia ac-foae-fke.r

kl 40 35

The staff noted many anecdotes to indicatethat Josie had come to enjoy Kari's company,seeking her out as a partner in line, and sittingnext to her in a variety of activities, not just thosein which she was assigned to be a buddy. Mrs. Band her staff decided that they liked the effects ofthe buddy program and implemented it with twoother pairs. At the end of the year, they concluded

that the buddy skills training program wassuccessful for two reasons. (1) The stay, play, talkstrategies were consistent with typical playrepertoires of preschool children. (2) Spreadingstrategy use across the day was less demandingthan intensive use during one daily playtime andproduced more widespread generalization.

41

CHAPTER

SFacilitating friendships

should not be thought of asa short-term process.

e

FOUR

ummary

The buddy skills training program providesteachers with a set of tested strategies designed tofacilitate interactions and support the develop-ment of friendships between preschoolers withdisabilities and without disabilities. The threebuddy steps are consistent with conventionalclassroom instruction and are easy for mostpreschoolers to learn. The buddy skills programsupports relationship development by acknowl-edging the likely "costs" or effort involved, and byattempting to reduce those costs with sensitizationtraining and specific skill training at a level thatpreschoolers understand, and that teachers caneasily incorporate into classroom instruction.

Facilitating friendships should not be thoughtof as a short-term process, but rather one that isintegrated into the curriculum throughout the fullschool year. As with any new approach, a certainamount of time is needed to learn the strategy andthen teach these buddy skills to children. Yetthese training procedures are easy to learn and tocarry out, allowing teachers to quickly incorpo-rate the procedure into their existing teachingstrategies.

42 37

\/liography

Allan, G. (1979).A sociology of friendship andkinship. Boston: Allen & Irwin.

Asher, S., & Gottman, J. (Eds.). (1981). Thedevelopment of children's friendships.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Cassidy, J., & Asher, S. R. (1992). Loneliness andpeer relations in young children. ChildDevelopment, 63, 350-365.

Day, R., Powell, T., Dy-Lin, E., & Stowischek, J.(1982). An evaluation of the effects of asocial integration training package onmentally retarded preschool children.Education and Training of the MentallyRetarded, 17, 125-130.

English, K., Goldstein, H., Shafer K., & Kaczmarek,L. 1997. Promoting interactions amongpreschoolers with and without disabilities:Effects of a buddy skills training program.Exceptional Children, 63(2), 229-243.

Gaventa, B. (1993). Gift and call: Recovering thespiritual foundations of friendship. In A. N.Amado (Ed.), Friendships and communityconnections between people with andwithout disabilities (pp. 41-66). Baltimore:Paul H. Brookes.

Gaylord-Ross, R., Haring, T., Breen, C., & Pitts-Conway, V. (1984). The training and generali-zation of social interaction skills with autisticyouth. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,17, 229-247.

Goldstein, H., English, K., Shafer, K., &Kaczmarek, L. (in press). Interaction amongpreschoolers with and without disabilities:Effects of across-the-day peer intervention.Journal of Speech and Hearing Research.

Goldstein, H., & Ferrel, D. R. (1987). Augmentingcommunicative interaction between handi-capped and nonhandicapped preschoolchildren. Journal of Speech and HearingDisorders, 52, 200-219.

Goldstein, H., & Kaczmarek, L. (1992). Promot-ing communicative interaction amongchildren in integrated settings. In S. Warren &J. Reichle (Eds.), Causes and effects incommunication and language interven-tion (pp. 81-111). Baltimore: Paul H.Brookes.

Goldstein, H., Kaczmarek, L., Pennington, R., &Shafer, K. (1992). Peer-mediated interven-tion: Attending to, commenting on, andacknowledging the behavior of preschoolerswith autism. ournal of Applied BehaviorAnalysis, 25, 289-305.

Goldstein, H., & Wickstrom, S. (1986). Peerintervention effects on communicativeinteraction among handicapped andnonhandicapped preschoolers. Journal ofApplied Behavior Analysis, 19, 209-214.

Guralnick, M. J. (1990). Social competence andearly intervention. Journal of Early Interven-tion, 14(1), 3-14.

4 3 39

Haring, T., & Breen, C. (1992). A peer-mediatedsocial network intervention to enhance thesocial integration of persons with moderateand severe disabilities. Journal of AppliedBehavior Analysis, 25, 319-333.

Hartup, W. W. (1983). Peer relations. In E.Hetherington (Ed.), P. H. Mussen (SeriesEd.), Handbook of child psychology:Socialization, personality, and socialdevelopment (pp. 103-196). New York: JohnWiley.

Hartup, W. W., & Moore, S. G. (1990). Preschoolchildren's peer acceptance and socialinteraction. Young Children, 46(5), 47-54.

Howes, C. (1987). Peer interactions of youngchildren. Monographs of the Society inResearch in Child Development, Serial#127, 53,(1).

Kelly, H., & Thibaut, J. (1978). Interpersonalrelations: A theory of interdependence. NewYork: John Wiley.

Odom, S., Hoyson, M., Jamieson, B., & Strain, P.(1985). Increasing preschoolers' peer socialinteractions: Cross-setting and componentanalysis.Journal of Applied BehavioralAnalysis, 18, 3-16.

Odom, S., McConnell, S. R., & Chandler, L. K.(1990)'. Acceptability, feasibility, and currentuse of social interaction interventions forpreschool children with disabilities. Excep-tional Children, 60(3), 226-236.

40

Oke, N., & Schreibman, L. (1990). Training socialinterventions to a highly functioning autisticchild: Assessment of collateral behaviorchange and generalization in a case study.

Journal of Autism and DevelopmentalDisorders, 20, 479-497.

Shafer, M., Egel, A., & Neef, N. (1984). Trainingmildly handicapped peers to facilitatechanges in the social interactions of autisticchildren. Journal of Applied BehaviorAnalysis, 17, 461-476.

Stainback, S., Stainback, W., & Forest, M. (Eds.).(1989). Educating all students in themainstream of regular education. Balti-more: Paul H. Brookes.

Strain, R, Kerr, M., & Ragland, E. (1979). Effectsof peer-mediated social initiations andprompting/reinforcement procedures on thesocial behavior of autistic children. ourna/of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 9,41-54.

Strully, J., & Strully, C. (1989). Friendships as aneducational goal. In S. Stainback, W.Stainback, & M. Forest (Eds.), Educating allstudents in the mainstream of regulareducation (pp. 59-68). Baltimore: Paul H.Brookes.

Taylor, A., Asher, S., & Williams, G. (1987). Thesocial adaptations of mainstreamed mildlymentally retarded children. Child Develop-ment, 58,1321-1334.

44

About the AuthorsKRIS ENGLISH received a Ph.D. in 1993 from San Diego State University/Claremont Graduate Schooland is an assistant professor at Central Michigan University. Her current areas of interest includeinclusion and educational audiology.

KAREN SHAFER received a master's degree in education in 1996 from the University of Pittsburgh. Adata coordinator supervisor for Alliance for Infants in Pittsburgh, she is pursuing an interest in earlyintervention policy development.

HOWARD GOLDSTEIN is chair of the Department of Communication Disorders at Florida StateUniversity. He received his Ph.D. in 1980 from Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. He has beeninvolved in the education and research of children with disabilities for the past 24 years, conductingresearch in early intervention and in the development of language and social skills in children with andwithout developmental disabilities.

LOUISE KACZMAREK received a Ph.D. in 1977 from the University of Rochester and is an assistantprofessor of special education at the University of Pittsburgh and coordinator of the Early InterventionPreparation Program. Her current interests include classroom-based communication intervention,family-centered preschool models, and inclusive preschool practices.

Innovations Editorial PolicyWould you like to write for Innovations?

The Editorial Board of the Innovations series invites contributions that translate research into practicethat will improve the lives of people with mental retardation. Potential contributors should submit aletter of interest and outline with description for the proposed edition or a draft manuscript (e.g., grantdissemination manual). All proposals and manuscripts undergo a peer review process which considersboth the quality of writing and significance of the topic. Manuscripts must be based on empirical studiespublished in peer reviewed journals. (These studies may be the work of the contributors or others.) Themanuscript should be written directly to practitioners and incorporate chapters, case studies, andexamples. Accepted manuscripts are edited for practitioner appeal. Send proposals to: Diane Browder,Editor, Innovations, Lehigh University, 219A Iacocca Hall, Bethlehem, PA 18015.

Innovations Editorial BoardDiane Browder, Editor Martin Agran Richard Amado Linda Bambara

Lehigh University Utah State University Human Services Support Netwoth Lehigh University

Fredda BrownQueens College

Edwin flelmstetter John WheelerWashington State University Tennessee Tech University

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

American Association on Mental Retardation444 North Capitol Street, NW, Suite 846, Washington, D.C. 20001

M

ISBN 0-940898-45-4

46

(9/92)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOffice of Educational Research and Improvement (OERO

Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC)

NOTICE

REPRODUCTION BASIS

EC__ 3a C) ra

IC

This document is covered by a signed "Reproduction Release(Blanket)" form (on file within the ERIC system), encompassing allor classes of documents from its source organization and, therefore,does not require a "Specific Document" Release form.

This document is Federally-funded, or carries its own permission toreproduce, or is otherwise in the public domain and, therefore, maybe reproduced by ERIC without a signed Reproduction Releaseform (either "Specific Document" or "Blanket").

DOCUMENT RESUME ED 415 638relationship, buddy skills are taught to both members of a buddy pair. Features of the program include: (1) peer sensitization, designed to promote positive

Documents