Instructions

Determine a child’s current level of play and begin with activities there or at the next developmental
stage. To help you do that, here is a chart summarizing the stages of play for toddlers linked with a
child’s communication skills. As you can see, play development is closely linked to a child’s language
development. From The Autism Workbook from teachmetotalk.com.

The Autism Workbook… Stages of Play ©Laura Mize, M.S., CCC-SLP

Stages of Play Age During this stage, play Communication Skills

consists of…
Exploratory Play Begins Sensory and motor exploration of Babies learn to interact
early and toys and objects. A baby looks with others as they begin
continues at, reaches for, grasps, and to shift and share
to 8 mouths items. attention between people
months and objects, take turns,
and develop a longer
attention span.
Nonfunctional Play Begins at Activities with toys and objects Joint attention with
8 to 12 that support important cognitive showing/giving objects is
months concepts. Mouthing decreases noted in play with others.
and new actions with objects Communicative intent and
emerge, including banging, gestures emerge. Child
patting, turning, throwing, etc. may use a few words for
very specific contexts.
Beginning Begins at Learning to use familiar toys and Toddlers use context-
Functional Play 12 to 15 objects for their intended dependent single words to
months purpose. Toddlers discover how request, command,
objects work through trial and protest, label, respond,
error. They use adults during and greet, plus other
play to help them operate toys social and personal words.
or to get attention.
Early Symbolic Play Begins Early pretending as a child A child uses single words
around 17 begins to use one toy to with even more variability
to 18 represent something else during in the function, form, and
months play based on familiar, everyday content.
activities they perform.
Combining Play Begins at Performing several different Children begin to combine
Actions with 19 to 22 actions with toys, based on words using early phrase
Familiar Routines months everyday activities he may see patterns.
other people do.
Expanding Play Begins at Pretending now includes more Toddlers use short
Routines 24 to 30 steps and less frequent activities. phrases and sentences
months with emerging grammar.
Child asks and answers
“wh” questions.
Early Role Play and Begins at True pretending as a child takes Child speaks in sentences
Games with Rules 36 on another role, changes with more complex
months endings for play, and also begins constructions.
to play and pretend with peers.