Nine hours of videotape of an integrated eight-year-old deaf child of hearing parents, in social and instructional settings, were analyzed using a Vygotskian model. Analysis focused on: the frequency, amount, and kinds of interactions; the means of communication; the importance of context; the use of eye contact; and repair/avoidance of…

This study first classified empirical measures that have been used to assess the social integration of employees with disabilities. It then aggregated findings describing social interaction patterns in employment. Ten categories of measures of social interaction were identified and occurrence of social interaction was found to vary by…

Evaluation of the verbal interactions, especially maternal directives, among three mothers and their young blind children indicated that counting single occurrences of directives ignores the possible adaptive role that directive sequences may have in conversational interactions with blind children. (Contains references.) (Author/DB)

Comparison of 18 mothers and their late-talking male toddlers with 18 mothers and their typically developing male toddlers found no significant differences in degree of synchrony between mothers and children, mothers' use of social cues, play synchrony, compliance, or overall communicativeness, although the late talkers made significantly fewer…

Evaluation of social-cognitive skills in 23 young children with autism or other developmental delays found tests involving others' attention were more difficult for children with autism than tests involving others' behavior. However, the typical developmental pattern of first sharing, then following, and then directing attention or behavior was…

This article reviews the developmental profile of a child with autism during the first 3 years of life. Analysis of home videos showed how the child appeared to make progress up to 12 months followed by decreases in social interaction, communication, and language. Discussion suggests that this particular profile is one of the possible pathways…

Early socialization within the family and its differential effects on the development of verbal intelligence skills were the subjects of this longitudinal study. Fifteen families with one child between one and three years old and a second child born at the beginning of the investigation took part in a longitudinal study covering a seven-year…

This study compared 2 naturalistic language intervention methods--milieu teaching and responsive interaction--in 6 preschool classrooms that included 36 children with moderate to severe language disabilities. Although no main effects for treatment were found, milieu teaching was more effective with children having the lowest language levels and…

This study examined the social validation of using microswitches versus interaction/stimulation conditions with persons with multiple disabilities. Teacher-assistant trainees and rehabilitation staff (n=72) were shown videotapes comparing the two methods and then scored both approaches. The microswitch condition was viewed as generally more…

This study compared efforts of 20 deaf and 20 hearing infants to reengage their deaf or hearing mothers in a maternal "still-face" situation. When all kinds of infant signal behaviors were considered, few overall differences were found in eliciting efforts by deaf and hearing infants. (Author/DB)

The Verbal Interaction Analysis System is presented as an assessment of initial, dyadic conversations. Application of the VIAS to two case studies featuring mildly to moderately intellectually disabled adults shows how the VIAS provides an index of competence and assists in the development of specific treatment strategies. (Author/JDD)

The effects of different patterns of adult social interaction during play on children's exploration of toys and emotional responses was investigated with four preschoolers with moderate developmental delays. Results suggested more positive emotional responses during child-centered play than during the adult-centered condition and the possible…

This study investigated the effects of teaching sociodramatic scripts on interactions among three triads, each containing two typical preschool children and one child with autistic characteristics. Results supported the inclusion of systematic training of scripts to enhance interaction among children with and without disabilities during…

This study examined a system for fading teacher prompts to children who served as peers in peer-initiation interventions for young children with disabilities (n=6). Results indicated that social interaction continued at the levels found during intervention and was maintained during a short maintenance period. (Author/DB)

Interactions between 25 mothers and their developmentally delayed children (ages 2-5) during 15 minutes of semi-structured free play were coded independently with a global rating scale and a behavior count coding scheme. Correlational analyses were performed around three central themes: (1) the nature of the relationship between maternal…