The peer related social behavior of children contains both verbal and motoric components. While previous research has described the verbal social behavior of typical preschoolers, few researchers have specifically examined the motoric components of the peer related social behavior of typical preschoolers, and even less information is available concerning the motoric components of the social behavior of preschool-aged children with autism. The present study measured peer related social behavior in children with autism and typical children at four years old and at five years old. Both verbal (e.g., suggesting a play theme, answering a request) and motoric (e.g., sharing a toy, playing at a similar activity) social behaviors were measured. Several population differences and developmental trends were found. Typical children spent more time than did children with autism in peer related social behavior in general, and in particular in verbal social behaviors. However, for both populations of children, motoric behaviors occurred in a majority of the social intervals. The text presents specific patterns of verbal and motoric social behavior in both populations. The present study highlights the importance of motor behaviors, such as playing near other children at a similar activity, in the social development and social competence of preschool-aged children. These behaviors, while not necessarily initiating interactions, may serve an important role in setting the stage for interactions to occur, and allowing interactions to continue past the first initiation-response exchange. Thus, these behaviors impact on children's social acceptance, social competence, and social development. Differences between the two populations, and their implications for intervention and future research are also discussed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UMASS/oai:scholarworks.umass.edu:dissertations-8271 |
| Date | 01 January 1991 |
| Creators | Izeman, Susan Gail |
| Publisher | ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst |
| Source Sets | University of Massachusetts, Amherst |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest |
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