Play opens the door to learning and social interactions for most children. The often rigid play patterns utilized by a child on the autism spectrum limits her ability to learn about her environment and interact with her peers. A limited interest in toys further hampers social development. Peers at school, for example, may invite your child to play but want to include anxiety-producing new toys. Rejection of the toys seems like rejection of the children, who may then assume your child is uninterested in playing with them. Increased tolerance for new toys not only facilitates cognitive and verbal development, but it helps with social interactions as well.
Step 1
Look for signs that your child is ready to expand her play. These include joint attention, or the willingness to pay attention to something with another person, a tolerance for parallel play and imitation. Your child will be more receptive to a new toy if she is able to play near you, notices what you are doing and is interested in copying you.
Step 2
Choose a few toys that are similar to the toys your child already likes. Think about what your child likes about her favorite toys. For example, if she has a collection of cars, determine whether she likes spinning the wheels, sorting by color, opening the doors, or imaginary play. If it's spinning the wheels, gather a set of different wheeled vehicles. Experiment with various sizes, shapes and types. For example, she might be more open to adding large cars than she is to adding airplanes scaled to match her car collection, but the opposite might also be true.
Step 3
Watch your child play with her favorite toys for several days. Look for periods when her play is very rigid, and other periods when it is more flexible. Try to find a pattern that enables you to predict when she will be most open to new ideas. For example, she might sort blocks when she is anxious and needs to calm down, but line up toy furniture when she is bored.
Step 4
Join your child in her most flexible game. Ensure you are part of her play by following her lead. After a few minutes, expand your playing field by setting up a similar game right next to hers. For example, if you have been lining up cars together, start another line right next to her line. This allows you to make changes to your line without threatening hers.
Step 5
Add one or two of the new toys to your version of the game. Keep a few extras in case your child needs to sort them in order to understand them. If the game already involves sorting, then add the new toy to the line or pile and see what happens. If it is an imaginary game, give the new toy a role within the game, such as making an airplane fly one of the cars over to join its friends.
Step 6
Give your child free access to the new toy. It may take several repetitions of Steps 4 and 5 before she responds. If she ignores the toy, try a few more times. She may be getting used to it. If she gets angry when she sees it, try again with a different new toy.
Tips and Warnings
- Many children on the autism spectrum have difficulty organizing and understanding their world. Allowing them the opportunity to sort, as long as it doesn't become too rigidly repetitive, helps them understand new things, such as mouthing objects helps some toddlers.
- If your child is receiving therapy, be consistent with that approach. Discuss new ideas with your therapist in order to implement them as a team. This minimizes confusion and reduces the chance that a different approach will undermine the progress your child already has made.
References
- "Pro Ed"; Interventions to Support the Play of Children with ASD; Patricia Prelock; 2006
- "Autism Advocate"; Early Intervention Can Make a Difference: Utilizing Appropriate and Effective Approaches; Anne Holmes; 2009
- "Journal of Early Intervention"; Increasing Play Skills of Children with Autism Using Activity Schedules and Correspondence Training; Rebecca Morrison, et al.; 2002
