HOW TO HELP AUTISTIC CHILDREN WITH PLAY

by Kristen Sipe View Bio

Kristen Sipe

Originally from Boston, Kristen Sipe MS, OTR/L is an Occupational Therapist who has been practicing in the field of Pediatrics for 15 years. Kristen holds many specialty certifications including the SIPT and specializes in feeding, sensory integration and mental health as it relates to children with disabilities. As a leader in the Occupational Therapy community, Kristen actively advocates for children with disabilities and their families. In addition to working in both outpatient and school settings, Kristen served as an instructor at Brenau University in the Occupational Therapy program for 5 years. Kristen has spoken at the Georgia Occupational Therapy Association (GOTA) conference about the effects of abuse on children. Kristen has co-presented on the differences between ADD and Sensory Processing Disorder in children. Outside of the practice of Occupational Therapy, Kristen is a dedicated mother to 3 boys.

What if your child can’t play or doesn’t play the way that other kids do? Sure, the value of play sounds great if your child is typical and has the skills to engage with the world, make friends, and communicate, but what if your child is different? What if your child has autism?

Many children with autism find the world to be a threatening and overwhelming place and consequently may develop coping skills to help them disengage with the over-stimulation of our environment. The idea that children should be playing is counterintuitive to a central feature of children with autism: disengagement. So just how do you ENgage a child in play, whose primary fixation is to DISengage?

“Many children with autism find the world to be a threatening and overwhelming place and consequently may develop coping skills to help them disengage with the over-stimulation of our environment.”

Autism has become a bit of a buzzword in both mainstream media and our local communities. If you don’t know a child with autism, odds are you will, sooner rather than later. Maybe your neighbor has a child with autism, or you have a family member with autism. It can be hard to know how to engage with a child who experiences significant difficulty interacting, socializing and communicating. How do we help these children use play to access the world in a rich and meaningful way, stimulate their brains, refine their motor skills and build relationships? All of these skills can be attributed to play. Play skills may have come very easy to your own child, but for a child with autism it’s a far different story. Children with autism may require adult intervention or the skill of a professional to help them adapt to the world in a playful and social way. As an occupational therapist who works with children with autism, facilitating play skills is a large and rewarding part of my role. But you don’t need to be a professional to play with a child with autism.

5 tips to help interact in a meaningful way with a child with autism:

1. Approach with ease and respect: While it is not necessary to be timid, children with autism may require a larger amount of personal space. Find the physical proximity that both you and the child are comfortable with, and understand that this may change from day to day. There may be times when the child is seeking stimulation and may desire hugs and feel comforted by compression and sitting very close to you, while at other times the child may be avoiding stimulation and may need more distance. Close proximity and touch can be threatening. Take a minute to interpret the child’s sensory needs before invading their space. The child will often give you clues so just be patient and experiment with how close to sit.

2. Enter their world rather than trying to create or present a new toy/activity: Playing next to the child and interacting with their preferred activity may be most comfortable to the child. Watch for the child to signal you. Children with autism may or may not use language to talk, but that does not mean they are not able to communicate, so watch for gestures, signs, body language, and facial expressions. Children who are not verbal are capable of understanding language and are often bright and creative.

3. Understand there is value in parallel play: Playing next to a child who seems to be ignoring you is tremendously significant to the child. Don’t give up easily if the child doesn’t pay attention to you. Children with autism may have difficulty dividing their attention, but your presence is still felt, and if you are patient, valuable play skills can be exchanged and demonstrated during these interactions.

4. Teach and demonstrate how to have fun: Children with autism may require a demonstration of how to play with a toy. Play skills may not come naturally to a child with autism, and they may benefit from a peer or an adult to help them play with a toy or object. Don’t assume that the child doesn’t want to play with the toy. They may not know how to play with the toy. If the child has a narrow repertoire of play skills, slowly try to facilitate more engagement by expanding on the play skills they already have. Children with autism tend to be visual leaners, so do more demonstrating and less talking.

5. Change and transitions can be hard: Change can be difficult for children with autism. Expand on play skills slowly and on their terms. Build trust so that anxiety is reduced. Children with autism are just like other kids. They like to have fun and do things that feel good, but they may need more repetition or demonstrations of how to engage with a toy or object. Also, just like any other child they may find alternative ways to play with a toy. Encourage their own creative methods and respect individuality. Lastly, since change can be hard, they may play with a toy for a long period of time. Don’t be quick to change activities. Allow the child and extended amount of time playing with the same activity if they are not yet ready to move on.

Don’t be afraid of doing something wrong or upsetting a child. These tips are meant to be helpful. Keeping an open mind and a playful spirit will result in a meaningful play experience, and if you are lucky you just might get a glimpse into their world.

• Print
• |
• Share