How Do Children With Autism Play And How Is It Different?
- HEALIS AUTISM CENTRE
- 12 hours ago
- 5 min read
Children with Autism engage in play different from the typical child. Children with Autism may struggle with social interaction and find themselves not being able to fit in with their peers or have a preference to play alone. Lower-functioning children may not be able to understand make-believe concepts or collaborate with play-mates, however, higher functioning children may find themselves over-fixated on rules of a game which can lead to behaviours if changes were made to a game, for example, a change in the number of players. – this is called parallel play, parallel play happens when a child is alongside other children, doing the same or similar activities but in solitary (Jassey, 2021).
How do typical children play? Typically, children learn through skills like imitation, social interaction, joint attention and symbolic play. Imitation skills being one of the foundational skills assist typical children in learning how to play through copying of their peers or through observations from an adult (Bennie, M. 2020). For example, driving a car. Children learn to turn the steering wheel and to drive the car forwards and backwards on a flat ground. Next is joint attention skills where children engage in an activity together, for example, solving a puzzle (Bennie, M. (2020) & Jassey, JB., (2021)). For children with Autism that are lower functioning, these skills may not be easily developed on their own and have to be taught to them. Higher functioning children may be able to play well and learn through observations however, what both have in common is the social aspect.
Autism Spectrum Disorder affects both social and communication skills, but it does not mean that children with Autism do not feel reinforced by social interactions. It may be difficult for them to understand nonverbal cues such as facial expressions, tone of voice and gestures, however, adult interaction is needed for guidance and motivation. Interaction with the child is sometimes more rewarding than the toy itself (Raisingchildren.net.au, 2021). Being taught play skills along with other important skills like communication, attention, and imitation, children can start to generalize and increase their vocabulary of play, to interact with peers.
Knowing that joint attention and social interaction is essential for play, and to make the best experience of it, here are some examples of how one can engage a child with Autism in play to work on their joint attention skills and social interaction.
The definition of joint attention is to share a common focus on something with someone else, it is a form of shared communication. Joint attention is usually found lacking in lower function children with Autism. Some components of joint attention include: Attention, emotions and intention (Therapies for kids, n.d.):
Attention - being able to follow another person’s eye gaze
Emotions - the ability to read non-verbal emotions through expressions
Intention - understanding that they are doing an activity together with another person
To practice joint attention, the caregiver can show enjoyment and consistently give praise to the child for participating in activities, animated voices and facial expressions act as an encouragement for the child to continue with his/her engagement too, as said by Therapies for kids (n.d.) and CELLpractice (n.d.). Other forms of engagement include positioning yourself in front of the child to gain eye contact (Positive action, 2020). Games like peekaboo, blowing of bubbles for the child to pop and hide and seek with objects in an opaque box and shaking it to get the child’s attention will actively engage the child with another person, giving opportunity for joint attention. it is important to use toys and games age-appropriate such that the child does not feel bored. For older children, board games like snake and ladders would be appropriate to practice joint attention.
As for social interaction, it is an advanced skill worked on for higher functioning children with Autism. Children with Autism tend to be uncomfortable making eye contact with people and struggle with emotional regulation (Special Strong, 2021). When put in stressful social situations, behaviours may arise due to the lack of knowledge in how to handle the situation. Some games and activities that can be done to work on social interaction are:
1. Staring Contest
A child with Autism may be intimidated by eye contact with another person and feel heavily overwhelmed, this would discourage them from making eye contact hence hard to socialise with peers or to request for attention. Staring contests can make staring less overwhelming. An alternative to this would be to start off by pasting a sticker on your forehead or nose and getting the child to practice eye contact with it while speaking. This breaks the level of difficulty down and it can help the child engage in more advanced social communication skills.
2. Roleplay Social Situations
Roleplaying of situations that are relatable can help children with Autism prepare for incidents in school. For example, roleplaying a scenario where their toy gets snatched. Have the child ponder over how he/she feels and how they can react to it appropriately. Validate their feelings and reward them with the correct responses.
3. Emotion Charades
Emotion charades are charades where the child guesses the emotion that the other player is showing. This helps them understand nonverbal emotions and expressions, such that they can read situations that happen in their life and react to it accordingly.
4. Simon Says
“Simon says” is a good game to test receptive skills. Besides working on understanding emotions and preparing themselves for different incidences that may occur during a game, this game makes listening to instructions fun! Children not only train their listening skills, but they also practice their alertness to situations.
Even though these games may be appropriate, it is still important to know your child’s interest and to explore from there. Take note of their sensitivity to their surroundings and whether they may be easily overwhelmed by sensorial exposure or if they crave more sensory experiences and give them breaks accordingly.
Written by: Joleen Ng
References:
Autism Awareness Centre. Bennie, M. (7 October 2020). The importance of play for children with asd. Retrieved from https://autismawarenesscentre.com/the-importance-of-play-for-children-with-asd/
CELLpractices. (n.d.). Joint-Attention Activities. Retrieved from http://www.earlyliteracylearning.org/cellpractices_rev/CELLpracT_JointAttn.pdf
Love to Know. Meleen, M. (n.d.). Social Skills Activities for Kids with Autism. Retrieved from https://autism.lovetoknow.com/Social_Skills_Activities_for_Kids_with_Autism
Positive Action. (14 October 2020). 20 Evidence-based social skills activities and games for kids. Retrieved from https://www.positiveaction.net/blog/social-skills-activities-and-games-for-kids
Special Strong. Top 10 social skills activities for children with autism. (2019) Retrieved from https://www.specialstrong.com/top-10-social-skill-activities-for-autism-to-help-with-sensory-issues-in-children/
Therapies for kids. (n.d.). Joint Attention. Retrieved from https://therapiesforkids.com.au/milestone-monday-joint-attention/
Two Way Speech. Hay, J. (2019). Activities to increase joint attention. Retrieved from https://www.twowayspeech.com/blog/2019/4/11/activities-to-increase-joint-attention
Raisingchildren.net.au. (19 May 2021). Structured play: new skills for Autistic children. Retrieved from https://raisingchildren.net.au/autism/school-play-work/play-learning/structured-play-asd
Verywellhealth. Jassey, JB. (15 December 2021). The reason Autistic children play differently. Retrieved from https://www.verywellhealth.com/autistic-child-form-of-play-259884