The Effects of Parent-Implemented Turn-Taking Strategies

Embedded in Home Setting for Toddler with Developmental Delays

Shannon Lesnak
Kent State University, Early Childhood Special Education Program
Introduction

Methods

Turn-taking focuses on supporting the back and forth interactions

that are the foundation of early learning (Reith et al., 2014)

Participants:

Many evidence-based interventions are composed of multiple

components with turn-taking a component included in interventions
across theoretical perspectives (Reith et al., 2014)

Setting:

Despite its widespread use as a component of interventions, there

is little research about turn-taking on its own (Reith et al., 2014)
Turn-taking skills are frequently targeted in social skills
interventions for children with disabilities. (Stanton-Chapman &
Snell, 2010)
Research shows that preschoolers with disabilities often fail to
develop social interaction skills (including turn-taking) that are
necessary to make friends with peers. (Stanton-Chapman & Snell,
2010)
Research and design of interventions including turn-taking is
necessary to promote social interactions for children with
disabilities. (Stanton-Chapman & Snell, 2010)
One strategy that has produced positive results for young children
with disabilities has been embedding learning opportunities into
classroom activities. (Pretti-Frontczak & Bricker, 2005)
Part C early intervention theory says that intervention should be
oriented to important relationships, with learning opportunities
embedded in natural experiences. (Odom & Wolery, 2003)
Interventions (including turn-taking) that incorporate several
domains (social, language, cognitive) are effective in promoting
social outcomes and later academic achievement. (Caprara et al.,
2000, Guralnick, 1992)
Research Questions:
Does coaching increase parents use of turn-taking strategies?
Does exposure to turn-taking strategies embedded in activities that
promote movement increase child turn-taking, crawling, and
walking?

Toddler (14 months) with gross motor and adaptive delays, and his mother (30 years old)
Home environment
Intervention strategy:
Parent-implemented turn-taking strategies embedded in play activities that promote movement
Turn-Taking Strategies (IV) Include:
Imitating childs actions and waiting for a response
Responding to childs actions as if intended as an interaction
Embedding parent actions into childs solitary play
Follow childs lead
Pause for child response after parent turn
People play
Reciprocal games
Operational Definition of Turn-Taking:
Verbal or nonverbal social initiation with partner response
Operational Definition of Embedded Instruction:
Learning opportunities based on intervention goals that occur during daily routines and activities and
include an antecedent (naturally occurring event that sets the stage for the target skill), behavior (target
skill), and consequence (something that occurs after behavior to reinforce it)
Dependent Variable:
Social interaction/ turn-taking
Crawling and walking
Coaching Process:
Intervention occurred through
the use of coaching, an adult learning practice that
supports the transfer of knowledge from the
interventionist to the caregiver.
Data Collection Procedures:
Video recording sessions, 6 minutes each
Both baseline and intervention sessions were coded

Existing Research

1. Frequency of parent turn-taking

Author
Rieth et al. (2013)

3. Coding of child crawling and walking

Stanton-Chapman
& Snell (2011)

Zanolli, Paden &

Cox (1997)

Schertz & Odom

(2007)

Schertz, Odom,
Baggett, & Sideris
(2013)

Purpose
To determine if modeling and
contingency are both necessary
to optimally support childrens
communication and play
behaviors.
To determine the impact of a
social communication
intervention on preschoolers
turn-taking skills.

Primary Findings
Lower language levels
impacted by contingency.
Higher language levels
impacted by modeling and
contingency combined.
Turn-taking effectiveness:
high for one child,
moderate for 3 children,
mild for 2 children,
ineffective for 4 children.
To determine if social skills
Turn-taking most affected
training is effective for typically by tangible
developing toddlers in daycare. consequences. Prompting
least effective
To determine the effectiveness All children surpassed
of a parent implemented
baseline levels for turnintervention for toddlers that
taking. 2/3 children
promotes joint attention and
demonstrated joint
occurs before age 3.
attention. Third child
demonstrated progress in
turn-taking.
To determine if joint attention
Moderate effect of turnmediated learning has a
taking.
significant impact on childrens
language and development

By increasing the parental use of turn-taking strategies

embedded into play activities that promote movement, the
childs social interaction and gross motor development
increased.
Aligns with existing research.
Embedded instruction and turn-taking strategies were
combined to promote social interaction during play with toys
and activities that promote movement.
Play activities were based on the childs interest to promote
child engagement and motivation and increase opportunity for
intervention and practice of strategies.
Practical Implications for Early Intervention:
Turn-taking is easily embedded into daily activities in natural
environments.

2. Frequency of child turn-taking

Results

Discussion

Coaching Process

Social interaction strategies can encourage child interest and

engagement during activities that promote movement for
children with gross motor delays.
Parent-implemented turn-taking strategies are effective at
promoting social interaction and gross motor development

Baseline:
During baseline, the parent and child exchanged
a minimum amount of turn-taking. The child

Future Directions

also participated in a minimum amount of

crawling and walking.
Intervention:
During the intervention, the parent implemented
turn-taking strategies during play activities that
promoted movement. The parent turn-taking
increased, as well as child turn-taking, crawling,
and walking.

More research is needed about turn-taking on its own.

More research and design of interventions that include turntaking are necessary to promote social interactions for children
with delays and disabilities that will have affects on future social
skills and academic achievement.
Current studies rely on a small number of children and require
replication in future research with larger populations.