Play

1. Play

2. What is Play? • Play is the language of children • Play is an intrinsically motivated, pleasurable, autotelic (Valued for its own sake) activity that in typical children requires no rewards or reinforcement; it is usually accompanied by positive affect; and is intimately related to the development of social behavior and communication.

3. Basic Competencies Required in Play • Intrinsic Motivation • Non-literality (Pretend vs. Real) • Imagination • Cognitive Flexibility

4. Did You Know??? • Play is intimately related to the development of social behavior and communication, and vice versa. • Social behavior and communication are intimately related to the type and quality of play behavior

5. The Problem • Because of the competencies required and the intimate relationship that it has with communication and social behavior, play neither comes naturally nor easily to children with autism.

6. Good News • Research demonstrates that children with Autism CAN learn to play • We know that there are social-cognitive precursors to symbolic communication and play: • Joint Attention • Sharing Affect

7. Play Provides a Context for Language Development & Social Interaction • You can not learn a word without the ability to grasp the associated concept • Concepts and words are best learned in context that supports learning • Toast am – kitchen pm – with a glass of wine

8. Levels of PlayMildred Parten, psychologist from 1930’s • Unoccupied behavior • Onlooker behavior –if something attracts their interest they look • Solitary play: a child playing with blocks alone in the corner • Parallel play: two or more children playing with blocks near each other but not talking with each other

9. Associative/companionate play: two or more children playing with blocks building the same thing, talking with each other but not working together to create something • Cooperative play: two or more children are playing with blocks building the same thing, talking with each other and working together to create something

10. Considerations • Children differ widely according to birth order within their own families • Boys and girls develop in different areas at different stages of their life • Not all children move through the stages at the same rate • Children who have more life experiences tend to emerge as leaders or organizers at younger ages • Confidence, shyness, and other personality traits factor into these stages of play

11. Our Mistakes • When we work with kids we often start at too high of level in the play • cooperative play

12. Where do we Begin? • Begin where the learner is • Observation • Which activities are they involved in? • What level are they at?

13. Questions to Ask ? ? • What is important to the child? • What is motivating to the child? • What is interesting to the child? • How does he/she communicate? • How do they request? • How do they reject or refuse things or actions? ? ? ?

14. When Do We Begin? • Emotionally regulated? • Ready to interact? • Physically ok? • Joint attention? If they aren’t focusing on anything we have to gain joint attention. • Follow the child's lead • Imitate their actions – funny hat, prompts, string • Affect sharing?

15. How Do We Start? • Build play routines around: • Interests • Sensory preferences • Motoric ability

16. Provide Scaffolding for Play • Model the play responses and direct the play • Provide verbal guidance – “I’m driving my car on the road. Oops, I have to stop.” • Provide visuals • Provide feedback and reinforcement – “You made your car go fast.”

17. Strategies to Promote Initiation • Set a desired object out of reach • Engage in a fun activity several times, then stop, wait for the child to initiate the request for the routine or the action. Reinforce initiation • Set up problem solving situations, give the child a shoe instead of the puzzle/shape when it is needed later

18. PEER PLAY • Model response • Provide lots of ‘watch’ time • Provide verbal guidance • Provide lots of practice • Play the game with adult • Play the game with peer

19. JOINT ACTIONROUTINES • Preparation of food or fabrication of a specific end product such as art • Cooperative turn-taking games or routines e.g. Peek-a-Boo, Pat-a-Cake, Songs, Simon says • Routines organized around daily themes such as; washing dishes, birthday party, going to a restaurant • Play routines based upon children’s literature

20. Structural ElementsVisually Based • We need to organize the activity for the child to enable them to function as independently as possible! • What are the boundaries of the activity? • Time Constraints • Visual timer, watch • Starting/stopping point- amount of time, number of card games, pieces of puzzle, blocks • Make each section of the play sequence visual • Line up the pictures/photos and show them the steps they need to follow • Provide scaffolding • Extend play a little at a time

21. Social Skill Elements • Turn taking • Waiting one’s turn • Conversational scripts • Sharing materials • Keeping an appropriate social distance • Visual regard • Perspective taking • Responding to others

22. Acceptable social behavior such as: • Winning/losing game • Determining who goes first in a game • Following the rules of the game • Maintaining participation until the end of the activity/game

24. REMEMBER • The important thing to remember is that play must be FACILITATED in children with autism. It cannot be left to chance.

25. Social Stories Review • Social Stories • Descriptive: • Explain what occurs and why • Explain who is involved and what they are doing • Point out the relevant features in a situation • Example; There are times at school when kids need to share. If a toy is small, it is called a toy for one. Sometimes when the wind blows, leaves and papers fly up in the air.

26. Perspective: • Describe the reaction of others or student in the situation • Example; I am afraid the wind is going to toss me up into the clouds. Many people do not like change. Although they do not like change, they may say to themselves, No big deal. I can do this.

27. Control: • Written by student • Identify their own strategies to recall information • Example: To feel safe, I can hold a friends hand. • Cooperative: • Direct the rest of us about what we are going to do • Define our responses • Example: My teacher says good job and will give me a sticker. If I use a loud voice in class the teacher will point to the voice I should be using.

28. Affirmative: • Enhance the meaning of surrounding statements • Often express a commonly shared value or opinion within a given culture • Example: Most people eat dinner before dessert. This is a good idea. (Stress an important point.) The toilet makes a sound when it flushes. This is ok. (reassure) • Social Story Formula • 0 – 1 directive • 0 – 1 control • 2 – 5 perspective, descriptive & cooperative

29. Questions to Ask About Your Social Story If you read a story and any of the following are true, then it is possible that the story is not a Social Story(TM): 1) it sounds more like a “to do” list than a source of helpful information and suggestions; 2) you sense that it was written with a sole focus on eradicating a problem behavior; 3) it seems as if the goal of the story is to just get a child to comply with an adult’s rules or expectations; 4) it contains negated verbs (i.e. not…);

30. 5) there are first person statements - i.e. statements written in the child’s “voice”- that refer to a child’s mistake or negative behavior (the combination resulting in a self-depreciating statement); 6) it contains second person statements; 7) it contains the word “should”; 8.) you realize the stories for this child always provide new information, never applaud what the child currently does well; 9) there are statements that, if they were interpreted literally, would not be accurate or true, and/or 10) the title identifies a desired behavior, as in, “I Sit Quietly in my Desk.”

31. If written according to the guidelines and criteria developed by Carol Gray, Stories will have a positive, respectful, reassuring quality, and will provide missing information to ensure social understanding, not rote compliance. In addition, half of all Stories written for an individual must applaud something that person currently does well