Effects of Toys and Teacher Facilitation Strategies on Social Behaviors of Preschool Children with Behavior Problems and Developmental Delays

Three preschool age students with developmental delays and/or behavior problems were presented with toys that promote individual play and toys that promote social interactions. Prior to the beginning of the study, all of the three students demonstrated deficits in their social behaviors. Results of the study showed that the toys that were presented, those that promote individual play and those that promote social interactions, had no significant effect on the number of positive and negative social interactions. Since, neither condition showed to be increasing students appropriate social behaviors, after completing a second baseline, teacher facilitation strategies were implemented as a second intervention. The results of the study concluded that each of the students did increase the number of positive social interactions when the teacher facilitation strategies were implemented. Therefore, teacher facilitation strategies can be an effective tool used to increase or decrease social behaviors in students with developmental delays and/or behavior problems.