Table 1.

Presession pairing skills, definitions, examples, and measurement procedures used for each skill

Skill	Definition	Example	Measurement procedure
Proximity	Therapist stays within arm’s distance of client	If the child was playing in the ball pit, was the therapist within arm’s reach	30-s whole-interval recording
Praise	Therapist uses behavior-specific praise contingent on appropriate play skills	Staff—“Awesome job turning the page!”	Frequency
Reflect	Therapist repeats vocalizations made by client	Child—“Woof-woof” Staff—“Woof-woof, the dog is barking”	Percentage of opportunities
Imitate	Therapist imitates appropriate play skills exhibited by client	Child opens a book Staff opens a book	Frequency
Describe	Therapist describes appropriate play skills exhibited by client	Staff—“You are playing the piano!”	Frequency
Initiate	Therapist offers tangible items to client	Rolling a toy car down their arm and placing it in the child’s hand	Frequency
Create	Therapist creates a new activity by changing the function of a toy	Using a book as a tent for dolls	Frequency