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eye gaze, facial expression, body and to describe how arranging a
postures, and gestures to regulate play environment may be utilized in
ASD is characterized by social interchange, or a lack of
interest in showing, bringing, or
inclusive preschool classrooms to
expand play skills and social
interactions of children with ASD.
social interaction pointing out objects of interest to
others. Individuals with ASD may Arranging the play environment for
have deficits in developing, children with ASD includes
difficulties, communication maintaining, and understanding structuring the physical
relationships; have a restricted range environment, choosing appropriate
challenges, and a of interests that may be abnormal or toys, peer grouping, and adult
unconventional; and experience assistance (Chandler, Fowler, &
tendency to engage in limited receptive and expressive Lubeck, 1992; Mason et al., 2014).
communication skills (American Multiple mini-vignettes about Logan
repetitive behaviors. Psychiatric Association, 2013). ASD and Jack’s inclusive preschool
is characterized by social interaction experiences are presented to
”
difficulties, communication demonstrate how these strategies
challenges, and a tendency to engage will assist teachers in facilitating
in repetitive behaviors. However, their appropriate play skills.
symptoms and their severity vary There are many different ways
widely across these three core areas. to define play; however, researchers
For example, Logan may want peers agree on some commonalities
to play with him but can only among all definitions (e.g.,
communicate this desire through the Ginsburg, 2007; Johnson, Christie,
use of sounds, such as “vroom, & Wardle, 2005; Parten, 1933).
vroom.” Logan’s development of Play may be defined as a state of
play skills and varied interests are being in which an individual
still developing, as his social experiences increased energy
involvement with peers is increasing. focusing on an activity, cheerfulness
Jack still requires more modeling and joy which is accompanied by
and guided participation to engage smiles and laughter, feeling an ease
in play with peers. of burden resulting from
nonliterality, renewed sense of
optimism, and the beginning of new
possibilities (Children’s Play
Information Service, 2002; Johnson
et al., 2005). Play also includes an
element of being freely chosen by
the child and personally directed in
a process of trial and error in which
the child learns new activities
(Johnson et al., 2005; Wong &
Kasari, 2012). Play is intrinsically
motivating, flexible, spontaneous,
and voluntary, allowing children to
use their natural environment to
promote learning and socialization
“
performance for any external goal Anderson, 2005). Lifter et al. (2005)
or reward (Parten, 1933). stated that children with ASD
Play is a powerful In 1932, Mildred Parten
categorized the stages of children’s
develop important social skills
precisely through exploring different
play that continue to provide a forms of play, focusing on pretend
intervention that can standard definition for describing a play, playing with objects, and
child’s developmental progress in engaging in socio-dramatic play and
improve social and social play. The stages of play peer play. According to Children’s
recognized by Parten and many Play Information Service (2002),
language outcomes for current scholars include unoccupied children may increase physical
play, solitary play, onlooker play development when given
children with ASD behavior, parallel play, associative appropriate space and resources to
play, and cooperative play (Parten, play. In preschool, many children
”
1932). According to Parten, as improve fine and gross motor skills
children become older, improving such as balance, laterality
their communication skills, and as (awareness of left and right sides of
opportunities for peer interaction their body), spatial orientation, and
become more common, the muscle coordination of large muscle
nonsocial (solitary and parallel) groups. When the child masters
types of play become less common, these skills, it allows for enhanced
and the social (associative and play-based activities and social
cooperative) types of play become competencies.
more common. The social aspect of The experiences in which Jack
play begins when the child starts to and Logan participate provide
notice the play of others (Jordan, insight into play patterns among
2003). Singer and Singer (2006) children with ASD. For example,
assert that children’s play is central Jack does not show the ability to
to their sense of themselves and role-play with action figures, but he
their relationship to others. If spends hours exploring them by
schools are the first experience moving their joints, checking
beyond home and family, then whether they can balance on their
teachers wield considerable power own, breaking them apart, and
for both education and intervention. putting them back together. His
Play is a powerful intervention engagement with the action figures
that can improve social and may not appear to be “play,” but he
is engaged in an element of freely
chosen, intrinsically motivated
exploration of these toys. Logan will
follow a peer’s lead and mimic the
peer; however, he does not
demonstrate independent abilities to
exhibit role-play skills. Some peers
are able to “become” part of the toy
and take on the characteristics
associated with this mediating
artifact. Even though Logan is
emerging with this skill as he
Table 1
Summary of Strategies
Descriptions Examples
Choose Play contributes to the broadest range of skills and interests; Cause and effect (race track with cars), pretend play (baby,
appropriate toys a broad range of play opportunities with peers and clothes, and crib), creativity (kitchen and food), active
appropriate toys should be encouraged. Social toys would (balls, bikes), cooperative (board games, building things
create more social interactions increasing relationships such as Legos), manipulative (coloring, beading)
and communication skills. Children will play longer when
allowed to choose their playthings/toys.
Child grouping Using peers to help children with ASD engage in appropriate Minimally intrusive method of encouraging engagement in a
social interactions. Choosing a peer may be based on the play involves placing children who possess a lesser
peer’s level of tolerance, empathy, and his or her amount of developed social skills alongside or near
preference of activities. children with greater social skills during small and large
group activities.
Adult facilitation To encourage play and interaction between peers and Give positive nonverbal (high fives and smiles) and verbal
children with ASD, teachers should set interactive (“You are playing so nicely together”) reinforcers when
activities, assist with communication, and arrange play children are engaged appropriately in social interactions.
activities, so that all children’s participation is essential Model appropriate communication and give gestural
and assists in the facilitation of when activities begin and prompts.
end.
Social stories The social story described how someone would choose a
toy, how to request a friend to play, and/or how to share
toys. Social stories can include computer-generated icon
pictures or “real” pictures that include the children the
story is targeting. The latter is a preferred method to
ensure children assimilate themselves into the situation.
and play activities, each child’s friends. She also expressed concern
individual development is enhanced that Logan played “differently”
and enriched (Table 1). than the other neighborhood
At their team meeting, Ms. children. The special education
Bank, the parent, teacher assistant, teacher and speech-language
special educator, speech pathologist, pathologist added that they have
and behavior specialist discussed also observed an increase in
Logan’s current levels of progress. communication and interactive skills
As parents are an integral part of a with preferred peers, but he
child’s education team, Ms. Bank continues to engage in parallel play
specifically asked Logan’s mother and infrequent interactions with
about his social and communication unfamiliar peers. The team decided
skills at home. Logan’s mother, a that as they discussed solutions to
young, single parent of two children, support Logan’s communication
was pleased with Logan’s increased and social skills in the classroom,
communication skills since the they would also address strategies
beginning of the school year. appropriate for the home
However, she still had concerns that environment. The team committed
Logan did not interact, to meet on a regular basis to discuss
communicate, or play with less current progress and address
familiar family members and necessary changes.
The team first assessed the hold Logan’s interest. Ms. Bank
classroom environment. They rearranged it by adding some cars to
recognized some key areas to be increase the chance that Logan
rearranged. For example, they would choose the math center, and
noticed that if they decreased the improve early numeracy skills such
number of centers available from as counting and patterning (e.g., red
eight to five at free play, interactions car, red car, blue car, red car, red
between children increased, as well car, blue car), while improving
as focus and engagement with the social interactive skills by playing
play activities. Furthermore, they with peers. Prior to center time,
provided boundaries to the centers, Ms. Bank selected two children with
so that the children understood the advanced social skills and asked
actual space in which the center play Logan to choose a friend from the
“
should occur. They made the play two to play with during center time.
areas only large enough as required After Logan chose a friend, Ms.
Early childhood to fit four children and the toys, so Bank asked the children to decide
children would not be too far apart which center they would like to
classrooms should include when they played. The team attend. Once they chose their peers
determined that they needed to and center, Ms. Bank discussed the
both social and isolate assess the students’ preferred toys
and activities to naturally improve
rules and expectations, and then
supervised from a distance.
social and communication skills
toys to create within the classroom. After assessing
the classroom environment, the
Choose Appropriate
opportunities for social team determined that many of these Toys to Facilitate Play
strategies can be implemented for
interactions and child the home environment, though All children respond differently
adapted for fewer children. Home to toys available to them at any
development. strategies included structured play particular time. Children may like to
dates with neighborhood children or have conversations with their peers
family members with preferred toys while playing with certain toys,
placed close together, and having no while other toys lend themselves to
”
more than three activities out to play in isolation (IN, 2014). The
encourage interactions between tendency to engage in a restricted
children. range of activities can be seen in the
Through consultation with way that many children with ASD
parents, daily observation, and play with toys (IN, 2014; Wong &
anecdotal records, Ms. Bank and the Kasari, 2012). For example, some
behavior specialist discovered that children spend hours lining up toys
Logan’s favorite toys were trains in a specific way instead of using
and cars. As discussed in the last them for pretend play.
team meeting, Ms. Bank put some Social toys promote
toys that Logan preferred to play opportunities for interactions with
within the center and decreased the others, and isolate toys are usually
number of toys in the center to used individually (Elmore & Vail,
increase the possibility of 2011; see Table 2). Early childhood
communicating, sharing, and turn- classrooms should include both
taking during play. For example, the social and isolate toys to create
math center was typically filled with opportunities for social interactions
different manipulatives that did not and child development. Regarding
Table 2
Categorization of Social and Isolate Toys and Materials
“
however, if two children take turns blocks, cars, trains, and kitchen
to finish a puzzle and talk about center) for Jack and Logan, she
Creating interactive what shape or what animal the
puzzle created, the puzzle becomes a
must consider which peers to group
with Jack and Logan to increase
social toy. However, if teachers their social interactions. Using peers
activities with a more provide young children with ASD to help children with ASD engage in
with appropriate toys, without appropriate social interactions is a
socially competent peer guided participation and modeling strategy well researched within early
strategies, social interactions still childhood (e.g., Harrower &
allows teachers to provide will not likely occur. Therefore, Dunlap, 2001; Kohler, Strain,
additional techniques such as Hoyson, & Jamieson, 1997;
structured play prompting and modeling may Petursdottir, McComas, &
continue to be needed to ensure McMaster, 2007; Wong, 2013).
opportunities for children successful interaction and Creating interactive activities with a
engagement. more socially competent peer allows
with ASD to improve their After the team meeting,
Ms. Bank observed Jack and Logan in
teachers to provide structured play
opportunities for children with ASD
unassisted free play. She found that to improve their social interaction
social interaction skills Jack did not seem to be interested in skills within the classroom
playing with peers even though he environment. Teachers should utilize
within the classroom may like the same toys. For example, a technique of “priming” or
Jack was sitting on the carpet playing prepractice before beginning new
environment. with the building blocks, but he peer groupings, classroom activities,
”
became agitated and ran away when a or changes in the child’s
peer approached the area. Logan’s environment. Priming has been
interactions were typically limited to documented as an effective
engaging with preferred peers for 5 classroom intervention for children
min of play at a time. Both boys with ASD (Harrower & Dunlap,
“
became agitated when free play was 2001). Priming consists of reviewing
over and they were asked by the information prior to the child
teacher to cease their activities. Based actually engaging with peers or in a
The teacher may utilize on Ms. Bank’s observation, both boys classroom activity. This intervention
chose to play with the blocks, cars, will increase the likelihood of
visual supports such as and the kitchen area. Ms. Bank successful social interactions
decided to use these centers as a between appropriate child
picture/word cards that catalyst to promote social interaction groupings. Strategically grouping
with their typically developing peers. peers may be termed as peer-assisted
say “Can I play?” or “my At the beginning of center time, Ms. strategies (Chandler, 1998),
Bank gave Jack two center choices environmental arrangements (Mason
turn,” and coach all (making sure at least one was a et al., 2014; Odom et al., 1999), or
preferred activity) and provided the social integration activities (Brown
children in the classroom opportunity for Jack to make the
choice which center he would like to
et al., 2001).
Choosing a peer may be based
to use visual supports to play. on the peer’s level of tolerance,
empathy, and his or her preference
of activities (Hobson, Hobson,
communicate Child Grouping Malik, Bargiota, & Calo, 2013). For
”
example, Ms. Bank chose peers who
Now that Ms. Bank has chosen enjoyed playing with blocks, cars, or
appropriate toys and activities (i.e., kitchen sets, as well as children who
Adult Facilitation
In these social interactive
activities, the teacher’s role in play
would not get upset if the activity may be one of facilitation. Without
was modified or if Jack or Logan adult facilitation, children with ASD
threw a toy. Teachers should be may be apt to play alone, isolating
careful not to simply place peers themselves from peers and social
within an activity context with activities (Koegel, Werner, Vismara,
children with ASD and expect for & Koegel, 2005). By knowing the
“
improvements in social interactions kind of play that children with ASD
without adult facilitation during prefer, teachers can encourage play
In these social interactive instructional periods. Peers may and interaction between peers and
require facilitation to initiate social children with ASD, teachers should
activities, the teacher’s interaction and to participate within set interactive activities, assist with
the activity. Teachers should expect communication, and arrange play
role in play may be one of that successfully grouping children
may take several trials (Mundschenk
activities, so that all children’s
participation is essential (Wong,
& Sasso, 1995). Another factor that 2013). In an examination of play
facilitation. needs to be considered is the verbal groups between typically developing
”
abilities of the child with ASD. The peers and children with ASD, Koegel
teacher may utilize visual supports et al. (2005) found that utilizing
such as picture/word cards that say mutually reinforcing activities, as
“Can I play?” or “my turn,” and well as adult facilitation of
coach all children in the classroom cooperative environments, had
to use visual supports to positive effects on the participants’
communicate (Johnston, Nelson, reciprocal social interaction. In
Evans, & Palazolo, 2003). addition, teachers may need to
After the team discussed the facilitate communication and
importance of peer grouping, arrange play because all children’s
Ms. Bank and the behavior specialist participation is essential. Children
began observing which activities all with ASD tend to avoid an activity
the children appeared to prefer and that requires pretending or
how the children played together. imagining oneself in place of
They chose two peers for Logan and another (Doody & Mertz, 2013).
two peers for Jack who (a) enjoyed For example, in the vignette below
playing similar activities as Logan Ms. Bank has the kitchen center set
and Jack, (b) attempted to interact up for free play, as she noted that
with Logan or Jack during play, and this is a preferred play area for
(c) were tolerant of changes, Logan and Mia. She also brought
adaptations, and interruptions in over a baby doll and helped Mia
play. They grouped Logan with Mia include Logan in the decisions for
and Jose, and Jack with Henry and what to feed the baby and provided
“
Play behaviors are the
Logan went to find the milk. At
first, he got a plastic chicken. Mia
saw it and said, “No, that is not
milk. It’s chicken.” Logan then
Final Notes
Play behaviors are the
fundamental basis for social skills
fundamental basis for dropped the chicken and picked up development, language development,
a slice of bacon. “No, that’s bacon,” and communication abilities (Lee,
social skills development, said Mia. “Here is the milk. Feed Odom, & Loftin, 2007). As a child’s
the baby.” Logan did not know knowledge and understanding of a
language development, how to feed the baby, so he stood
with the milk in his hand. “Let me
play activity expand, the child
transforms his or her approach to
show you how to feed her,” said social situations and decision
and communication Mia. Logan followed Mia’s direction making.
and started to pat the baby. The No one instructional strategy
abilities teacher quietly visited another center will be successful for all children
while Mia began to lead the play. with ASD, though play activities
“
target behaviors, teachers should difficulty (Lord & McGee, 2001).
look for naturally occurring As every experience a child has may
opportunities. When Ms. Bank saw contribute to the development of his
Furthermore, naturalistic Logan and Mia playing in the same or her brain, children with ASD
center, she recognized that it would need to be given ample opportunity
teaching, such as teaching be a great opportunity to naturally to participate in social and academic
reinforce interactions between activities.
social interaction skills Logan and Mia. Ms. Bank guided Furthermore, naturalistic
and prompted the children to teaching, such as teaching social
during play, has been continue taking turns when
necessary. Even though it may
interaction skills during play, has
been successful when teaching
successful when teaching appear that Mia is dominating the
play experience, the interaction
young children with ASD (Wong &
Kasari, 2012). For example, a
provides Logan with an example of teacher may find an opportunity to
young children with play imitating real-life activities. teach turn-taking to a child while
Each time Logan and Mia rolling a ball back and forth. Before
ASD participate in this activity in the the teacher rolls the ball toward the
future, Ms. Bank will promote child, the teacher can say, “my
Authors’ Note
You may reach Amy M. Papacek by e-mail at amypapacek@gmail.com.
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