Effects of the use of visual strategies in play groups for children with autism spectrum disorders and their peers

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of visual strategies with preschool children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their peers during play group sessions. A changing-criterion design was implemented with three preschool-aged children with ASD while they participated in play groups with four typically-developing peers. Results indicated improvements in the use of script phrases, context-related comments, and intervals in which speech occurred for all three participants. Results regarding unscripted phrases, responses, and use of prompts were variable and are discussed.