Setting the stage for play for children with autism

I put these observations to the test in a research design alternating 5 minute play periods with fine-motor materials (tinker toys, blocks) with 5 minute periods of play with active gross-motor play equipment. These included a see-saw, boxes tied together to make a “train,” rubberized equipment to jump/bounce on. The children here, unfamiliar with each other, were 4-9 years of age, one child with high functioning autism, one neurotypical peer. The results confirmed my informal observations: the pairs of children, videotaped behind a one way mirror did not play together in the fine-motor condition. Attempts to initiate play by the neurotypical peer were most often ignored by the child with autism, who preferred self-stim or sat unengaged. This reversed when the children were introduced into a gross-motor setting with one piece of equipment and also videotaped behind a one way mirror. The equipment itself helped to structure the interaction: e.g., each child taking a seat on the see-saw, or crawling through the boxes. What was most exciting for us was that the dramatic increases in play here generalized back into the following fine-motor setting. The children “figured out” how to interact together, the neurotypical child often providing clear direction. For example, “hockey sticks” were fashioned out of tinker toys, and the children hit a round piece, i.e., the puck, back and forth on the floor.