Peer Social Initiations: Effective Intervention for Social Skills Development of Exceptional Children

Deficits in the area of social skills represent one of the more pervasive disabilities exhibited by exceptional children. The social initiation intervention, in which nonhandicapped children are taught to direct social overtures to exceptional students, is one tactic that has been found repeatedly to result in positive social behavior change. This intervention technique derives primarily from the naturalistic study of peer interactions that show the predictable influence of social initiations on the behavior of interacting partners. Extensive evaluations of this technique have revealed no negative side effects on peer trainers and increases in the social responding, social initiations, and length of exchanges for target childen.