The power of play

How can play benefit individuals with Autism

A guide to fun and learning!

By: Wendy Zenteno

Play is a way for people to have fun and interact with each
other, but it is also the window to learning. “It is the
universal language of childhood”[ CITATION DrL16 \l 4105 ]. Why do we learn through
play? Well, it involves repetition of experience, exploration, experimentation, and
imitations. In fact, it is through play that children learn to understand each other
and about the world around them. They learn by exploring and interacting with
others and their environment.

Although all children learn through play and benefit greatly from it, there can be
challenges for some children. Especially when they have trouble with certain areas
such as social skills and communication. Therefore, we need to adapt playtime to
get the most benefit according to each child’s individual needs and abilities.

What does play require?

Playing with others usually requires language and

communication skills, fine and gross motor skills, thinking and
problem-solving skills, social skills, and emotion control. All
things that are developed as children age. When children play
together, they must share, take turns, observe, communicate their needs, and
understand other children’s needs, resolve conflict and find ways to use the tools
in their possession to have fun and explore their surroundings. Therefore, while
they play, they work on all these essential everyday skills. Children with Autism
Spectrum disorder (ASD) may have difficulty in some or all of these areas making
it harder to interact and learn. They might struggle along the way but there is a lot
that can be done to support them.

They may struggle more with some types of play. It is common

for them to have limited play, to have specific toys they play
with or to engage in repetitive actions or play. Also, it is often
seen for a child to use toys for a different purpose than that
for which it was intended. Such as spinning the wheels on a
bike or toy car, instead of riding it or using blocks for lining up
instead of building a tower. They might avoid certain toys or activities due to their
smell or texture and might seek others to feed sensory needs. For example, they
might avoid finger painting or noisy toys or might enjoy watching spinning toys or
appreciate swinging upside down. They may also lack the ability to copy simple
actions, share objects and attention with others, imagine what other children are
thinking or feeling and respond to others.
Types of play and ways to practice them at home:

Exploratory play 
As the name says it is the task of exploring objects
and toys, instead of playing with them. For example,
this could be when a child puts toys in their mouth,
feel and squeeze a soft teddy bear or observe a
barbie’s hair, hands, and legs. At this stage of play,
children are learning about their world through toys-for-kids/

different shapes, colours, sizes, and textures.

For a child who has autism, you need to help them by
modelling this type of play and by encouraging them to
explore objects around them. For example, you could
encourage your child to splash water in the bath and rub
soap between their fingers to make bubbles.

Cause-and-effect play 
This is when children play with toys that need an action to
produce the desired result. For example, winding-up a toy
car for it to move or pressing a button for a toy to pop
up. This type of play teaches children that their actions Car/dp/B01CPZ36TY
have effects and gives them a sense of control in their
play.
Your child with ASD might need help to learn how to use these toys, through
exploratory play, or by modelling. When they accomplish the task, it is important to
praise them, so they are encouraged to keep doing it and to try other cause-and-
effect play. Be patient and keep trying!
Toy play (or ‘functional’ play)
This is when children need to learn how to use toys for their
intended purpose. For example, drinking tea with a teacup from
a tea set, using a toy pacifier to calm a doll, or pushing a toy
car. with-dolls/

This can be challenging for children on the spectrum, you might

need to help your child by modelling. Make sure that you sit in
front of your child so they can see your actions and your facial
expressions. Talk to them and try to include them in the action,
for example, take a sip of pretend tea and offer them to taste.
After they do say “Mmmm yummy pretend tea, did you like it?” This will make it
easier for your child to engage in play.
Constructive play
This is when children play-build or they make things. They work towards a goal or
an end result. Like, making a castle with blocks or sand, or painting a picture. Some
children with ASD might struggle with constructive play, whereas others might do
just fine and some might even be advanced at this skill. Everyone is different and
learns at their own pace.
You can help your child use constructive play by demonstrating to your child what
they need to do. For example, you could try to make a castle with blocks to show
your child how to do it. You may also use pictograms, a video or social stories to
show them how.
Physical play
This is rough-and-tumble play, jumping, running,
climbing and other physical play that requires
whole-body exercise and develops gross motor
skills. You can encourage your child to play by
creating an obstacle course, offering them sports
equipment (balls, jumping ropes, frisbees) or having
a dance party. Introducing a tricycle, bike or
90/
scooter can also be a fun way to get them moving.
You may even have fun playing Simon says to get
them going or just roll down a hill. Any way that you both enjoy and keeps you
active is a great tool. The goal is to have fun and keep your child motivated.
Remember that it is crucial to find activities that interest them and to avoid
forcing them to participate. Sometimes, they just won’t want to do it and that is
ok. It teaches them about their interest and about saying no when they are not
enjoying an activity, other valuable skills that they need to learn. So, in those cases
don’t get upset or discouraged, simply put an end to the activity with a positive
note like congratulating them on being a good sport or on being vocal about their
dislike for that activity. There is always another day and another fun activity to be
discovered!

Pretend play
This is when children use their imaginations during play. For
example, pretending to be a fireman or superhero, feeding a
baby doll, pretending to cook with toy plates and food,
pretending the floor is made of lava and jumping on cushions to safety. A moment
when being silly and crazy is ok.

Pretend play starts at around age 2. It’s the most sophisticated form of play. This
can be challenging for some children (especially those with ASD) and they may
need help to acquire this important skill that is essential for developing the skills
necessary for social relationships, language and communication. Luckily for us we
can use everyday actions to practice pretend play, like pretending to have tea, put
make-up on, talk on the phone or drive a car.

When your child starts using pretend actions in play, you can help them develop
their imaginative and pretend play skills by dividing the action into smaller simpler
steps, using pictures, videos or social stories to demonstrate what they need to do
and how to do it. Make mistakes on purpose to encourage them to correct with the
proper action, such as drinking tea with a shoe or putting a car to sleep and if they
don’t pick up on it, you can say “silly mommy, I need a tea cup not a stinky shoe”.
Through humour we might get them to engage in the proper action but if they
don’t, encourage them to take a turn with objects that they enjoy. Let them take
the lead. Join them in their play and slowly introduce other actions and objects.

This type of play also involves role-play. You can help your child use role-play by
using their favorite movie and encouraging them to act out funny parts. Pretend to
be different characters in the movie, using voices and mimicking their moves. By
gradually presenting new themes and increasingly adding parts of the play, you can
guide your child towards independent, imaginative, creative and dramatic play.

How to motivate your child and pique their interest:

In order to get them interested, give them a
choice between two toys they like. This gives
your child a choice but does not overwhelm
them. It is important to try and join in their
play instead of leading the way all the time.
You may also try to copy their actions before
you add to the activity. For example, if your
child is spinning the wheels of a car, you could spin them too. Then turn the car the
right way up and slide it across the floor saying, ‘Brrm, brrm’. If your child does
not participate, try to engage them by offering them a turn or guiding their hand
to do the action with you.

Remember to always praise their efforts and include their accomplishment, like:
“wow that was an amazing car race, you were driving the car so fast!”.

Timing is important, do not start an activity when

your child is tired, feeling sick or hungry. Make
sure to stop the activity when you see signs that
your child is losing interest or is bored. It might
be time to change the activity or to let them rest.

You could also show them videos of

children playing or social stories about
the activity you want them to learn.
Seeing others play with the toys can
give children an example to follow. You
can find existing social stories or
create your own.

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/210824826289397752/

This website will help you with social stories:

https://www.autism.org.uk/about/strategies/social-stories-comic-strips.aspx

Strategies for parents to use at home to both teach and foster play:
How can I prepare my child for Play?

https://www.erinoakkids.ca/ErinoakKids/media/EOK_Documents/Autism_Resource

s/Teaching-Play-Skills.pdf

Here are some websites where you can find useful tips about play:

https://raisingchildren.net.au/autism/school-play-work/play-

learning/play-asd

https://www.edutopia.org/article/key-aspects-play-early-

education

file:///C:/Users/wzent/Desktop/asd%20assig%203/power_of_play.pdf

Websites to find educational toys:

https://www.fdmt.ca/en

https://lipaq.ca/

http://www.letambourin.com/en/home.html

https://www.thetot.com/product/wooden-story-natural-blocks-tray-54-pieces/?

irclickid=Tjowl6R0txyOUsG0MKVSfWfHUkizvN0dQw1n2g0&irgwc=1&utm_source=

Impact&utm_campaign=Online%20Tracking%20Link&utm_medium=116548

Part 2: Reflections
In my experience, play has proven a great asset to help children develop skills necessary in
everyday life. I have worked with a young child who is 4 years old and non-verbal. He struggled
with proximity and poor eye contact. He did not like to be close to other kids and did not interact
with them. He sat at least 3 feet away from them in his class and did not let them touch him. He
never played with the other children at his daycare. He did not ‘play’ with toys or engage in
pretend play. He was not able to join his peers for painting, coloring, board games or any other
group activity. His days were spent sitting in a corner of the room, “playing” with a toy that has a
door, opening and closing that door for hours. He would also stim with books or any object that
flips when you shake it. He would stare out the window and stared at lights or the sun. He would
not eat lunch; he would just drink milk and water throughout the day.
I started working with him in the psychomotor room at the daycare. I had another child join us
and model for him through play. With in a couple of weeks he started joining us in the various
games. We jumped from the platform to the cushions, sang songs while pretending to fall out of
a boat or hiding under the many colorful cloths. We built imaginary castles with foam blocks and
knocked them down. He slowly started making eye contact, accepting his peer’s touch (holding
hands to jump or holding his shoulders to do the train). I saw him look at her and imitate her
movements and even her laugh.
Although he still struggles with eye contact and he is still working on his communication skills
(he does not speak but is learning signs), he has developed the ability to join us during play. Play
has permitted a safe, fun, and engaging environment where he is present and where he is learning
how to be around others and to accept them in his space. He is not only learning all these
valuable skills; he is actually having fun and being a kid. It is important to maintain the fun
aspect of play for children to enjoy it and continue to thrive. That is the most amazing gift we
can give him. He is part of the group and is engaging in social play. He is taking turns (waiting
beautifully for his turn), sharing toys, asking for help with the “help sign”, asking for more with
the “more sign”. He is able to communicate some basic needs and is learning to control his
emotions, we can now have him ask for a turn instead of screaming and dropping to the ground
when he was upset. He is managing his space and accepting that others join him in his
bubble(less than a foot away). He has developed so many aspects of play and is still progressing.
We are now joining each other. He brings us a little into his world (we stim with him for a few
seconds before asking him to put the object down and he loves that) and we bring him into ours.
He then accepts to join us in our activity therefore engaging with us during free play or
organized activities. He has transformed into a new child. We are not only seeing these changes
in the psychomotor room, he has started to parallel play in his class. He is starting to copy
pretend play, with cars and dolls. He has even been able to sit at the table at lunchtime and eat an
apple. Play was definitely the door to learning for him and will continue to be the venue we use
to reach him.
It is important for us as parents to develop skills to teach our children through play. Usually, we
do not have to teach our kids to play, they just do. However, for children who are on the
spectrum, it is not so simple, and we need to help them in this process. Therefore, we need to
look at the types of play and what they require if we are going to help our children. Getting help
from professionals can allow us to get the most benefit from this experience and render it more
pleasant for both the child and the parent. There are several tools to get information as well as
webinars or individualized plans from diverse specialists. Here are two good sources that contain
lots of information and detailed suggestions:
A Parent’s Guide: Teaching Play Skills to Children with Autism .

https://www.erinoakkids.ca/ErinoakKids/media/EOK_Documents/Autism_Resources/Teaching-Play-
Skills.pdf

Promoting Playing with others:

https://www.marcus.org/autism-resources/autism-tips-and-resources/promoting-play-with-others

Educators play an important role in helping parents achieve their goal. They can offer valuable
tips and support for the parents through this learning process and while implementing the
interventions. They offer information, their expertise as well as an outsider’s perspective that can
guide the parents through the different steps, struggles and even the little victories. They are the
parent’s allies. Parents have a very important role as they are their children’s main caregivers,
their best advocates and they know them better than anyone else but having the help of their
educators can reinforce their confidence and push them forward. Especially when things do not
go as smoothly as they would like. It is a teamwork that involves, the child, the parents, and the
SCC. They each have something to bring to the table and together they can help the child
develop to their fullest potential.
We know that play is a fun and safe way to work on skills with any child. Play can easily be
adapted to the individual’s needs, likes and abilities. It can be as vast as your imagination and
can work as long as you have energy and their interest of course. Therefore, it is highly efficient
and recommended by specialists across the board. So, get out there and have fun play-learning!