How to Use Play Therapy to Treat Autism

For most kids, playing comes naturally and it's an important part of a child's development. For children with autism, fun activities like games, tumbling and make-believe often have to be learned. Play therapy can draw autistic children out and give them a way to express themselves, while learning important life skills. Read on to learn more about how to use play therapy to treat autism.

Things You'll Need

• Brightly colored toys and stuffed animals
• Dance videos
• Climbing objects, slides and swings
• Sing-a-long CDs

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Instructions

• 1

  Use manipulative and exploratory play to show autistic children how to interact with objects and the environment around them. Hands-on, manipulative play, such as putting together puzzles and stacking blocks, teaches autistic children about perception and problem solving. Exploratory play such as dropping a ball into a hole introduces cause and effect, and aids with sensory development.

• 2

  Treat autism by engaging children in tumbling and physical activity to develop motor skills. Physical activity can also show autistic children how they can affect objects around them and interact with others.

• 3

  Use role-playing and social play to mimic real life situations. Children with autism can learn about the world around them by experiencing the way people interact in a variety of relationships, such as teacher and student, or customer and cashier. "Social stories" and "scripting" can develop language skills and teach social rules.

• 4

  Let autistic children learn games from other autistic children with integrated play, which develops social interaction skills.

• 5

  Encourage autistic children to participate in symbolic or pretend play. In symbolic play, children may pretend that an object is something else. For example, a tennis racquet can be a guitar, or a hairbrush may be a microphone. Symbolic play allows children with autism to develop thought flexibility.

• 6

  Engage children in functional play, where a child may provide appropriate sound effects and reactions for a toy or everyday object. For example, the child may pretend to take a drink from a glass, and then wipe his or her mouth. Functional play is where a child imitates appropriate or learned responses.

• 7

  Treat autism by choosing toys that will make a visual impact--bright colors with a variety of shapes and textures can help keep kids engaged. Enhance physical activity with slides, swings and games that require interaction, such as catch and tag. Use dance videos and musical instruments to encourage self-expression.

• 8

  Structure playtime so that there is continuity and repetition. Use familiar objects, but introduce new materials or different types of toys to keep activities feeling spontaneous and fun.