Using Behavioral Skills Training to Teach Peer Models: Effects on Interactive Play for Students with Moderate to Severe Disabilities

This study examined the effects of using behavioral skills training (BST) to teach peer models to engage students with moderate to severe developmental disabilities in interactive play. Two separate multiple-baseline across participants designs were used to determine the effectiveness of BST on the peer models’ implementation of the procedural steps and the target students’ percent of intervals engaged in interactive play. Results demonstrated that BST was functionally related to the peer models’ accurate implementation of procedures and the target students’ percentage of intervals engaged in interactive play. In addition, all participants demonstrated generalization to novel activities and play partners, and three of the four target students maintained high levels of interactive play for up to 13 weeks after intervention.