STRUCTURED PLAY

PSY 3570: Practicum with Special Populations

Incidental Teaching

Primarily used to increase verbal and nonverbal

communication and spontaneous speech

What are some methods for promoting

generalization?

New environments

Different context

Looser stimulus control

Incidental Teaching Contd.

Procedure in which stimuli and events are

arranged within ongoing, typical, activities to

motivate children to interact with people or

practice a skill

Must be child-initiated to be considered

incidental teaching

So, What is Structured Play

Then?

Structured play is WoodsEdge’s version of

incidental teaching

This is a time to provide extra learning

opportunities outside of discrete trials in the

student’s natural or play environments

It is also a time to

Promote generalization and maintenance

of skills

To challenge the student to engage in

elaborations of responses

Structured Play

During structured play you can work on:

Eye contact

Imitation

Taking turns

Approximations of words

Simple phrases or words

Complex phrases

Motor Responses

Structured Play

This should NOT be break time in the child’s schedule

Just like any other procedure in your child’s schedule, it should take about 5-7 minutes

Should be a time where you work on: Generalization and maintenance of previously learned skills

Current acquisition skills

Increasing language

Play skills

Building

Pretend play

Games

What You Will Be Monitored On7

Length of time spent on structured play

2 points taken off of score when: Tutor begins structured play 5 minutes early

Tutor begins structured play more than 5 minutes late

At LEAST 10 ELO’s based on the skills in your child’s repertoire

At LEAST 10 “extra reinforcements”

“Good job walking!”

“Great job playing with the scooter!”

“You made a basket, awesome job!”

How you handle any problem behavior that occurs

Monitoring Form

Structured Play Guidelines

Child-initiated

Child should show interest in the activity or reinforcer

instead of the tutor choosing activity or reinforcer

If child has MO issues and does not initiate, you may

need to contrive environment to increase MO

What are some ways to contrive the

environment?

Putting items out of reach

Pair neutral items with known reinforcers

Use known reinforcers to increase initiations

Structured Play Guidelines Contd.

Select activity/demand that is challenging but

is not too difficult to achieve

Early learners

eye contact, gestures, simple imitation

Intermediate learners

word approximations, simple words, simple phrases

Advanced learners (vocal kiddos)

complex word phrases, complex imitation sequences

Structured Play Guidelines Contd.

Attempt elaboration of response

Once child makes a response (ex: approximation of word) prompt them to expand that response

Example:

Child:“Buh”

Tutor: Say “buh, buh”

Example:

Child: “bubbles”

Tutor: Say “bubbles please”

Structured Play Guidelines

Contd.

Use appropriate prompts to evoke elaboration

Following prompt hierarchy for physical responses

Repeating SD up to 3 times for vocal responses

Encourage independence

Make sure that you are allowing the child time to response without additional prompting

Allow child to remain engaged in activity of choice instead of redirecting

If child is really engaged in their activity/toy, don’t redirect them to new activities or toys, this may result in problem behavior.

Remember this is supposed to be child-initiated!

Instead just get creative with ELOs!

Examples: Early Learners

Contriving environment

Withholding items that are needed to complete the

preferred activity

Activities

puzzle pieces, marble for marble track, crayon for

coloring, a ball for basketball)

Mand

Gestures (pointing/reaching) and eye contact

Signing for water, etc.

Simple sounds “buh, puh, mmm”

Simple imitation using the item of interest

Car on ramp

Feed baby

Build blocks

Examples: Intermediate

Contriving environment

Similar to early learners, but maybe this time

the missing materials may not be as visible

or maybe they have to open a box before

they find the missing piece

Simple fill ins, pauses, or phrases

“A, B, C…..” -“A cat says…”

“My name is….”

“The Wheels on the… “

“Bubbles please” (instead of just bubbles)

Examples: Advanced

Pretend or symbolic play

Group play

Taking turns

More complex fill ins and questions

What are you doing?

Spontaneous Comments

“This is fun!”

Maybe more complex imitation sequences

How to Plan for Structured Play

Where can you get ideas for target skills?

Current programs

Maintenance skills

Select reinforcers

Always have reinforcers with you

Always have motivational systems with you

Select activity

PRACTICE

Songs

Could leave words of the song out

Wait for student to respond or prompt the response

Ex:

Tutor: The wheels on the ......

Child: "Bus!"

Tutor: "Go round and round, round and round, round and round, the wheels on the ..."

Child: "Bus!"

Tutor: "Go round and round, all through the town"

Purple rocking chair

Could have them request for rocking

Dependent on child’s functioning you

could prompt them to say or say

approximations of push or push please

Set-up

Rock a few times and pause

Wait for child’s response

Begin rocking again

Castle

There are a lot of different things you could do with the castle

Block response of either going up or down and prompt the child

to say “up” or “down”

If child says response, reinforce with praise and access to

castle

Could work on taking turns/sharing

Child could be on top of castle and tutor on the ground and

you could throw the ball back and forth

Could work on taking turn skills and vocal responses

If more than one tutor or child, could give the SD “point to who

you want to throw it too”

Ball

With any balls, you could work on sharing/taking turns, eye contact, imitation, saying the color of different balls

Putting a ball in the basket

Roll ball

Language opportunities “roll”

“bounce”

“throw”

“ready, set, ….”

Bikes

Good reinforcer for imitation or motor skills

Tutor could be on bike and say “do this” to work

on pedaling

If appropriate for your kiddo:

If child mands for bike, you could prompt them

to “find it”

SD: “find a bike”

Could have them answer colors of bike

May not be appropriate for a lot of our kiddos

but really good for those kids who have a

colors procedure in their schedule

SD: “find a red bike”

Things to Remember

Keep it child-initiated and FUN!

Spend approximately 5-7 minutes maximum

Encourage elaborations of responses

Select appropriately challenging activity and get

as many ELO’s in as possible

This may require you to talk to the support

coordinator

Always end the trial with

success/reinforcement