Abstract
Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit early delays and deficits
in play. In infancy, they engage in unusual exploratory behaviors with toys. As toddlers,
they are slow to develop functional play, and in preschool some children with ASD
fail to develop symbolic play despite having the necessary cognitive and language
skills. Furthermore, when children with ASD are engaged in play, they demonstrate
less playfulness. This article reviews the literature on the characteristics of exploratory,
functional, and symbolic/pretend play in children with ASD and possible reasons for
their unusual patterns of play development. Increased quantity and quality of play
are frequent therapeutic goals for children with ASD. If play interventions are to
be successful, it is critical that speech-language pathologists have an adequate assessment
of children's play skills. Several frameworks and tools appropriate for assessing
play in typical children and children with ASD are described.
Keywords
autism spectrum disorder - theory of mind - functional play - symbolic play - naturalistic
developmental behavior intervention
