who have ASD and who are typically developed (McGee et al., 1999). Incidental teaching is a method that can use typical peers to aid the advancement of language and development with children who have ASD, but since it is in a more natural setting it diminishes the social barriers. In addition, it is a method that provides intensive instruction for children with ASD, but it also allows the children to be engaged in age-appropriate play with their peers (McGee et al., 1999). Hart and Risley (1975) discussed that peers in a naturalistic setting can also provide the instruction. This could not only aid the advancement of verbal skills with autistic children, but it could also promote social interaction.

McGee and Daly (2007) discussed that there is evidence that incidental teaching and stimulus-fading techniques can enhance autistic children’s communication in a socially meaningful way. A study was done that evaluated peer incidental teaching as a way to increase peer interactions by children with ASD (McGee, Almeida, Sulzer-Azaroff, and Feldman, 1992). The study gave a typical child something to say that would elicit a response from their peer with ASD (McGee et al., 1992). Three typical preschoolers were trained and paired with three children with ASD in a natural free play environment (McGee et al., 1992). There was adult supervision that was systematically faded throughout the sessions, which resulted in increase reciprocal interactions among the peers (McGee et al., 1992). Evidence showed that peer incidental teaching was effective in improving and enhancing reciprocal interactions among children with autism and their typical peers (McGee et al., 1992).