Teaching children with autism to interact with their typically developing peers can be a challenge. Previous research has documented that there are many effective ways to teach social interaction; however, interventions in this regard are usually implemented by professionals.The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of parent-implemented contextually supported play dates. Two parents were taught to design cooperative play arrangements to facilitate social interactions between their children with autism and typically developing peers in their homes. Two independent reversal designs were used to demonstrate functional relationships between parent-implemented, contextually supported play dates and an increase in synchronous reciprocal interactions for both participants. Social validity, both immediately after the intervention and 1 year later, was also high for both parents; however, there was no consistent impact on participant, confederate, or parent affect during the study. The results are discussed with reference to previous research, future directions, limitations, and implications for practice.
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