Promoting Reciprocity During Pretend Play in Children with Autism

Due to the challenges in reciprocal pretend play in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the current study examined the effectiveness of a set of procedures, including in vivo modeling, the differential observing response procedure, and prompt delay with differential reinforcement, on improving reciprocal pretend play responses in children with ASD. We recruited three target children and three non-target peer partners, all diagnosed with ASD and aged between 4 and 5 years. In a multiple baseline design, the intervention produced independent reciprocal play actions and verbalizations in the target participants and increased consecutive reciprocal exchanges within each dyad during pretend play. Improvements were maintained after the intervention was removed and when using non-instructional toy sets.