Little ones learn through play. Children who are still developing typically utilise play to hone their physical and social abilities, try on various personalities and characteristics, and create friendships. However, autistic kids may play in quite diverse ways.
They are more inclined to play by themselves and do it in a monotonous, aimless manner. When left to their own devices, some autistic kids sometimes remain in a rut and are unable to discover their own talents or hobbies.
Children with autism can grow more fully into themselves with the aid of play therapy. In the correct conditions, it could also be a tool for teaching parents or guardians how to connect with their autistic children more deeply.
Play Therapy: What Is It?
Well, Play-based autism therapy was first intended to help young people dealing with anxiety, trauma, and mental disease through psychotherapy. In that situation, play turns into a tool for kids to express their emotions and create coping mechanisms.
Play therapy of this kind is still widely utilised, but it is not the same as play therapy for autistic children.
Many professionals who provide what is referred regarded as “play therapy” for kids with autism really deliver something like to Floortime therapy. Floortime is a play-based method for fostering connections and social capabilities in autistic children by leveraging their own interests or obsessions. Another treatment strategy that employs play to help autistic children develop their skills is called The Play Project. It builds on the interests of the kids themselves, similar to floortime.
Through a certification curriculum with a broad range of content, it is possible to obtain official accreditation in Floortime therapy. Although it is provided by the Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders (ICDL), none of the national therapy associations have approved of this certification.
Therefore, the majority of “play therapists” are more experienced and/or trained than they are credentialed. Of course, as with any autism therapies, it is the parent or guardian’s responsibility to look into the therapist’s credentials, experience, and references as well as to regularly monitor progress.
The Work of a Play Therapist
A skilled play therapist will lie onto the floor with a child with autism and actively engage them in play. For instance, the therapist might lay out several toys that the youngster finds amusing and let them choose what, if anything, piques their attention.
The counsellor might take up second train and set it in front of the child’s train to obstruct its course if they take up a toy train and drive it back and forth, seemingly randomly. A relationship has started if the youngster reacts, whether nonverbal or verbal.
The therapist may look for high-interest, high-energy activities to engage the child if they don’t respond. Blowing bubbles and playing with toys that vibrate, squeak, shake, and do other things are frequently successful.
Therapists will assist with the kid to develop reciprocal skills (sharing, taking turns), imaginative skills (making pretend food, feeding a stuffed animal), and even complex thinking skills over time.
Children may be added to the group as they acquire stronger interpersonal relationships and more sophisticated social abilities.
