title: Social interactions of autistic and nonhandicapped children during free play.
abstract: Ten small groups of second and third graders participated in weekly play sessions with autistic children over a period of ten weeks. Observations of 28 nonhandicapped children indicated that the frequency of their social interaction and communication increased across the week of their daily visits. Autistic children displayed increases in social interaction and decreases in solitary behavior from the first to the tenth week of observation.
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D010988:Play and Playthings