Learning How to Play

Children with Autism love structure and routine, they need to understand what they
should do. It’s usually when your child doesn’t know what to do with himself that he will
engage in inappropriate behaviour, get frustrated and become difficult to manage.

Structured play is often the beginning of your child learning how to learn.
There are different kinds of play

1. Sensory motor play
2. Constructive play
3. Pretend play

All children need to learn these types of play but children with Autism will learn them in
a different way.

To be able to understand how your child plays watch him in a free play situation with a
variety of toys.

Sensory Motor Play

Sensory motor toys e.g. blocks, sound makers, rattles, squeaky toys, bubbles, balloons,
ball, playdough, water play in the bath, crayons etc. Large toy play outside. Swinging,
rocking, rough and tumble play, interactive social baby games e.g. peek-a-boo, round
and round the garden etc.

Sensory motor play is important for your child because it helps them to learn about turn
taking, joint attention, being able to predict things, looking, listening and paying
attention.

Even if you feel your child is beyond this level it is important to continue to play these
games and help him to explore and understand his environment.

Constructive Play

This will start with your child learning to understand cause and effect. If your child does
something to a toy - a press, a touch, a throw, something will happen as a result.

Children need to learn to understand this, and you may need to prompt them in the
early stages.

Imitation and Copying

Children with Autism need to learn to copy other people or imitate. We all learn through
imitation. It is a very important step.

Don't expect your child to start to imitate you. You will have to take the lead and
imitate him. Copy what he is doing with toys and objects, copy his sounds and
movements and see if he notices that you are copying him.

For example: - if he bangs 2 blocks together you do exactly the same. If he claps his
hands you do that. Even if he doesn't respond straight away keep trying. This may get
his attention. It means that your child is starting to be aware of other people. This is the
first important step in imitation. You may need to get another adult to help your child
copy what you do for example if you want your child to copy you waving you wave first,
then the other adult waves and helps your child using hand over hand movement to
wave back and copy what you did.

Attention

At this early stage in play you are aiming to develop shared interest and attention.
The young child with Autism may not realise that you can both be interested in the
same thing and can both enjoy the fun. This may mean you will have to:- invade his
space, bring him close to you, attract his attention.

(Further Information)

Teach a Positive Way to Play

Using a structured play area and structured activities to develop play skills helps your
child begin to understand because he can now see: -

What he has to do
How much he has to do?
When he will be finished?
What will happen next?

(Further Information)

Play Activities for All Levels of Development

In most cases you can select appropriate play materials and activities depending on your
child’s level of ability.

Here are some ideas that could be used to help young children, at each step of
development, learn about structured play.

First Steps of Structured Play

Use wooden inset puzzles, posting/‘put-in’ task, stacking rings, shape sorters, large
building blocks, peg boards, large beads on a spindle etc. There are lots of different toys
on the market which may give you ideas about what to make, buy or borrow.

(Further Information)

Structured Play as your child moves past the First Steps

Introduce activities with only one stage. Your child needs to learn 3 things to achieve
independence in play.
Children with Autism are very good at learning skills, but often have difficulty in starting,
working through and finishing an activity.
Structured play will help them learn these.

• How to start
• What to do
• How to finish

Structured Play as your child moves past the First Steps

How To Take Play Further: Teaching Pretend Play

Your child will usually have a preference for logical play with a clear end goal. Pretend
play is much more difficult for your child. To play in an imaginative way children need
to have acquired

• good attention
• some language comprehension
• the ability to organise themselves and their things
• the ability to plan out what they are going to do

It is possible to teach your child some simple pretend play sequences so that he will be
able to play with other children when he is ready.

How To Take Play Further: Teaching Pretend Play

Top Tips For Structured Play

Top Tips For Structured Play