Peer Play And The Autism Spectrum

Phase 1. Embracing the spirit of play - - phase 2. Setting the stage for play - - phase 3. Observing children at play - - phase 4. Guided participation in play.

This now classic text remains a cornerstone of continuing efforts to develop inclusive peer play programs for children on the autism spectrum. The second edition has been thoroughly revised to reflect major new developments in the field of autism. Notable additions include an updated description of the Integrated Play Groups (IPG) model and related research; an examination of the nature of autism and of play from past to present, with major updates on incidence, diagnosis, and characteristics; and a comprehensive review of play interventions. Presenting vivid descriptions of three children with autism over a 10-year period (from age 5 to age 16), Play and Imagination in Children with Autism: Traces the development of the children as they overcome obstacles to enter into the play culture of their peers.Focuses on two critical years during which the children participated in a peer play group.Documents the emergence of remarkable transformations in the children’s social relations with peers and symbolic activity.Includes vignettes, dialogue, and samples of writing and drawing to bring the children’s stories to life.Lays out the implications for new directions in research and practice. Pamela J. Wolfberg is Associate Professor of special education and Director of the autism spectrum graduate program (Project Mosaic) at San Francisco State University. “Play and Imagination in Children with Autism has been the cornerstone of my professional and personal life for nearly a decade. This updated edition retains the original accessible style, explaining so clearly the pivotal role that peer play holds in the lives of individuals on the autism spectrum, while providing readers with cutting-edge developments in theory, research, and practice in the field.” —Heather McCracken, Founder/Executive Director, Friend 2 Friend Social Learning Society “Dr. Wolfberg continues to break new ground with the second edition of her book. What a pleasure for any child to get involved in one of her integrated play groups, and what a relief for parents to know that their child is both learning and having fun! This is a wonderful resource for professionals interested in creating engaging and effective social skills groups for children on the autism spectrum.” —Connie Kasari, UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies “Children with autism benefit in so many ways from social play experiences, despite the significant challenges in symbolic development. Dr. Pamela Wolfberg, a leading expert in this crucial aspect of children's development, once again guides us in a highly engaging manner in supporting social and play development for children with ASD.” —Barry M. Prizant, Director, Childhood Communication Services, Brown University “This book is a ‘must’ for anyone who wants to bring about genuine social reciprocity and imagination in children with autistic spectrum disorders. Pamela Wolfberg takes us on a journey through previously uncharted territory, documenting in rich qualitative detail how to scaffold entry into the culture of peer play.” —Adriana L. Schuler, San Francisco State University “Dr. Wolfberg has done a fine and sensitive job in characterizing the pivotal role that play skills hold in the social and linguistic world of the child with autism. Her development of Integrated Peer Play Groups, and the delineation of the autistic child as the ‘Novice Player’ and the typical child as the ‘Expert Player,’ is a very valuable heuristic tool to all who work with children with autism.” —Bryna Siegel, Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute, University of California, San Francisco

Many children on the autism spectrum spend inordinate amounts of time alone. Without appropriate intervention, they are especially vulnerable to being excluded from their peer group and leading impoverished play lives. This practical guide, Peer Play and the Autism Spectrum: The Art of Guiding Children's Socialization and Imagination, offers an introduction to the basic principles, tools, and techniques that comprise the integrated play groups model. Pamela Wolfberg essentially translates theory into effective and meaningful practice, giving practitioners, parents and other caregivers the tools to initiate peer play groups for children in school, home, and community settings. Teach children with autism to play using this evidence-based curriculum!

This book presents the Preschool Peer Social Intervention (PPSI), a manualized comprehensive social curriculum to enhance peer-interaction for pre-schoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in three key domains: play, interaction, and conversation. The book outlines the PPSI’s transactional approach in each of the three intervention domains and incorporates developmental features and age-appropriate play, interaction, and conversation skills while accounting for individual differences in social communication abilities. The intervention is designed to be implemented within the child’s natural social environment, such as preschool, and it includes the child’s social agents, namely, their peers, teachers, and parents. PPSI intervention curricula addressed in this book are based on typical play, interaction, and conversation development, taking into account the social and communication challenges found to characterize young children with ASD in these domains. Building up the ability to play, interact and converse more efficiently with peers may render a substantial impact on preschoolers with ASD, with vast potential for improving not only these children’s immediate social experience with peers, but also their future social competence that relies on these early building blocks.

This book discusses the deficits in the development and presentation of play behavior and social skills that are considered central characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The book explains why play provides an important context for social interactions and how its absence can further exacerbate social deficits over time. It highlights the critical roles of social skills in development, and the social, cognitive, communication, and motor components of play. Chapters offer conceptually and empirically sound play and social skills interventions for children with ASD. Play activities using diverse materials and including interactions with peers and parents are designed to promote positive, effective social behaviors and encourage continued development. The book provides unique strategies that can be tailored to fit individual children’s strengths and deficits. Topics featured in this book include: Naturalistic Teaching Strategies (NaTS) for developing play and social skills. Teaching play and social skills with video modeling. Peer-mediated intervention (PMI) strategies that promote positive social interactions between children with ASD and their peers. Visual Activity Schedules and Scripts. Parent-implemented play and social skills intervention. Play and Social Skills for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder is a must-have resource for researchers, clinicians, and graduate students in clinical child and school psychology, behavioral therapy/rehabilitation, social work, public health, and related psychology, education, and behavioral health fields.

At the heart of this volume is the recognition that children’s engagement with play and story are intrinsically and intricately linked. The contributing authors share a passionate interest in the development and well-being of children, in particular through their use of imagination and adaptation of the everyday into play and stories. Following these principles, the volume explores the connections between play, story, and pretense with regard to many cultural and contextual factors that influence the way these elements vary in children’s lives. In a departure from earlier collections on play and story, the authors take a particular focus on normative as compared with atypical development. This collection begins with an approach to understanding the developmental relationship between play and story, which recognizes their similarities while acknowledging their differences. Much of the collection addresses pretend play and story in children with autism spectrum disorder, an understudied but important group for consideration, as these dimensions of their lives and development have often been considered problematic. The volume also includes sections on play and story in classroom settings and play and story across cultures, including non-English-speaking environments such as Israel, Romania, China, and Mexico. It concludes with a discussion of how play differs across sociocultural and economic contexts, making a unifying claim for the importance of play in children’s lives but also calling for an understanding of what play means to very different groups of children.

Play-Based Interventions for Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders explores the most recognized, researched, and practical methods for using play therapy with the increasing number of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), and shows clincians how to integrate these methods into their practices. Using a diverse array of play-based approaches, the book brings together the voices of researchers and practicing clinicians who are successfully utilizing play and play-based interventions with children and adolescents on the autism spectrum. It also examines the neurobiological underpinnings of play in children on the autism spectrum and the overall effect of play on neuro-typical and neuro-atypical development. Finally, through careful integration of theory with real-world clinical case application, each chapter also shows clinicians how to incorporate a particular treatment approach and make it a viable and effective part of their work with this challenging clinical population.

Autism, Play and Social Interaction is a fully illustrated guide that explains how to help children with autism spectrum disorders engage in interactive play, which is vital for the acquisition of social skills and attention to shared activities. The authors explain how to set up suitably structured play environments, games schedules and play routines, and how to use visual aids and other props to facilitate co-operative play and interaction. Common children's games have been adapted to accommodate children with autism spectrum disorders and range from simple interaction, such as 'putting-in' and 'give and take', to more complex games like 'hide and seek', 'sound-lotto' and 'spin the bottle', as well as games that teach social behaviour, such as exchanging toys and engaging with other children for play opportunities. This is a practical and accessible book for parents and teachers of children with autism spectrum disorders, as well as professionals working with these children.