Objective: Pediatricians and educators recommend that parents limit screen time and technology to support language development. However, many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) develop language differently. There is limited research examining traditional methods of language enrichment in comparison to using technology for children with ASD. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of using app versus a toy to teach preschool children with ASD turn-taking skills. Method: Three participants aged 2-4 years participated in an alternating treatment design investigation. The dependent variable was the number of successful turn-taking exchanges. The first intervention included the use of a toy barn. The second intervention was the use of the Peekaboo Kids app with a similar barn activity. Each treatment was completed no more than two consecutive sessions across a total of ten sessions. Results: The results demonstrated that the phone app was more successful in engaging and teaching the participants turn-taking skills. While both activities showed positive results with increased targeted skill, the phone app consistently exhibited more successful turn-taking exchanges. Conclusion: This investigation provided similar results to a study by Kemp et al. The study indicated that these participants responded positively to the phone app and successfully engaged the participants more than the toy. Further studies are needed to examine whether this app succeeds with other populations.
