Teacher-Child One-On-One Playtime: Teachers’ Non-Intrusive Play Promotes Developmental Gains of Developmentally Delayed Children

• In Event: Poster Session 07
  In Poster Session: PS 07 Topic - Developmental Disabilities

Abstract

This study focused on one-on-one play time of kindergarten teachers and children diagnosed with Developmental Delay (DD). The study examined whether teachers' non-intrusiveness (i.e., following the child’s lead, joining the child’s play without interfering, and not dictating themes and behavior in an over-powering way, Biringen, 2014), would be associated with improvement in children’s socio-emotional and academic functioning.

Teachers’ attuned responsiveness is considered essential for fulfilling children’s developmental potential (Verschueren & Koomen ,2012). Research indicates that teachers' attuned responsiveness to typically developing children promotes children's learning experience (Newberry & Davis, 2008). However, the effects of teachers’ behavior on the development of children with special needs, such as DD, received little attention. The handful of studies in this context found that teachers tend to be more directive than responsive to children with DD. They tend to employ inadequate pacing, and the children tend to be passively engaged in learning tasks (Kim & Hupp, 2005; Pennington & Coutade, 2015). Yet, these studies did not examine the links between teachers’ behavior and children’ developmental outcomes.

The current study employed a longitudinal design. Participants were 47 special-education teachers and a randomly chosen child from their special education kindergarten diagnosed with DD. In Time 1 (T1) teacher-child dyads were videotaped during three play interactions: free play with a few toys, structured play (i.e., a memory game provided by the researchers) and social play (namely, free play interaction without toys or any other physical object; Dolev et al., 2009). Teachers’ non-intrusiveness during each episode was rated by independent and blind coders using the non-intrusiveness scale of the Emotional Availability Scales (Biringen et al., 1998; ICC = .84). Kindergartens’ therapists (e.g., occupational or speech therapists) reported twice, in T1 and in Time 2 (T2) that took place 12-months later, on children’s adaptive behavior in terms of communication, socialization, motor and daily living skills (The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale; Sparrow, & Cicchetti, 1989), school performance, peer acceptance (The MacArthur Health and Behavior Questionnaire; Essex et al., 2002), and externalizing behavior problems (Teacher Report Form; Achenbach, & Rescorla, 2000).

Study variables were not related to teachers’ and children’s demographics (e.g., teachers’ years of experience and child gender). Regression analyses controlling for children’s functioning in T1, indicated that children of teachers who were less intrusive presented higher developmental gains over 12 months across all domains, namely in adaptive behavior, school performance, peer acceptance and decreased externalizing behavior problems, p’s < .026.

In our presentation we will discuss the study implications for future research and practice with children with DD. For example, our findings point to the importance of including one-on-one play time between teachers and children, and not only didactic learning, as an integral part of the kindergarten curriculum. In addition, as children with DD may tend to be passively engaged, on-going support should be provided for teachers, to enhance non-intrusive play behaviors in this challenging relational context.

Authors

• Smadar Dolev, University of Haifa
  Presenting Author

• Efrat Sher-Censor, University of Haifa
  Non-Presenting Author

• Esther Zach
  Non-Presenting Author

• Michal Shalem Gan-Or
  Non-Presenting Author