As a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA) who works with families whose children have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), I occasionally notice a rise in interest in particular strategies Lcabatherapy.com. Several families began contacting me to inquire about the effectiveness of a particular technique. One of these approaches is play therapy. Ten parents have questioned the efficacy of play therapy in the last year.
Although that few parents might not seem like a lot, when I meet about 30 families a year, that translates to 33% of my families having doubts about a particular therapy. Despite the fact that I received my training in behavioural treatments, more especially applied behaviour analysis, I don’t automatically write off non-behavioral approaches as useless without taking the supporting data into account. I left for the library after that.
We are aware that, with a prevalence rate of 1 in 68 kids, autism spectrum disorders are one of the developmental diseases that are growing in the United States (CDC, 2016). This depressing truth makes it even more important to find ASD-specific treatments for kids that work and are supported by the scientific literature. The most effective autism interventions at the moment are those based on behavioral theories, like applied behavior analysis.
However, several autistic experts (e.g., Gallo-Lopz & Rubin 2012; Greenspan & Wieder 2006; Ray, Sullivan, & Carlson 2012) suggested play therapy as a feasible solution for kids with ASD since it deals with their core challenges, like social and relational issues. Since children with ASD have a hard time connecting with others, play may be a great tool for assisting them in overcoming self-absorption and establishing diversified, shared interactions.
Play therapy is discussed in this paper in order to (discuss) (a) discuss whether it is effective for children with autism spectrum disorders, and (b) take away points.
Kids participate in play activities of their choosing during play therapy. Children with ASD have opportunity to communicate in their most natural ways in the play therapy setting. The play therapist’s role is engaging in a connection with the kid through play, in contrast to many behavioral therapies (Ray, Sullivan, & Carlson, 2012). Child-centered play therapy is one type of play therapy. It is a relationship-based technique that is based on Axline’s (1969) early work, which explains that the client—and not the therapist—was the main agent of change.
The pace, direction, and content of the therapeutic journey are determined by the children rather than the therapist. Instead of teaching kids to engage in particular activities that might be in conflict with their inherently good selves, child-centered play therapy involves the therapist entering the child’s world and using the interaction as an intervention.
I did a thorough review of the literature, and I found that play therapy for kids with ASD hasn’t been studied all that much. Just five studies could I locate (Carden, 2009; Josefi & Ryan, 2004; Kenny & Winick, 2000; Mitteldorf, Hendricks, & Landreth, 2001; Salter, Beamish, & Davie, 2016). As a whole, all five research employed child-centered play therapy to improve the social behaviors and play interactions of kids with autism spectrum disorders. There were five to eleven-year-old participants.
The participants in all five experiments showed a little rise in social engagement and play interactions. There are restrictions even when the outcomes are positive. Each of the five research, using a case study methodology, concentrated on a single subject. Results from case studies are difficult to generalize to the wider population because they do not have a robust experimental design.
Due to the fact that the intervention—in this example, play therapy—was not used with further participants, we are also unable to determine whether the participant’s altered behavior was brought on by the intervention or by other unrelated factors. Therefore, it is difficult to generalize that the play therapy intervention was successful in all five investigations. The five trials’ participants either received additional autism interventions outside of the research or play therapy was utilized in conjunction with other interventions.
We therefore do not understand the precise effects of play therapy on behavior modification because it was not a stand-alone intervention. Last but not least, none of the five research addressed peer social interaction, and there is limited data on the transfer of play therapy abilities to other contexts and settings. Even with its drawbacks, child-centered play therapy has value and should be researched further.
Then, what can we infer from the currently published literature? For starters, scientists are still figuring out whether play therapy is a useful treatment for kids with autism.
The impact of play therapy on behavior over time must be assessed and stronger experimental designs must be used for play therapy to be recommended as an evidence-based intervention. More participants, play therapy as the only intervention, evaluating the impact of play therapy over time, and better experimental designs are necessary to conclude that play therapy had a significant impact on behavior change.
There were no discernible effects of play therapy in the five studies, but the results highlight the need for further research into its potential benefits for children with autism spectrum disorders.
In addition to its theoretical foundation, play therapy is capable of addressing some of the core challenges experienced by children with autism spectrum disorder (Ray, Sullivan, & Carlson, 2012).
The purpose of play therapy is to empower children to develop trust and a sense of comfort with their therapist through play. A child may feel safe once they have experienced the benefits of play therapy, eventually generalizing their new skills to the home and school environment.
Third, parents can participate actively in play therapy, which is a benefit. Play therapy sessions can be conducted at home by parents or with their children. Over time, parents may take on more of the therapist’s responsibilities. Play therapy may therefore be an affordable solution that also aids in improving parent-child relationships.
Fourth, play therapy and behavioral therapies can both be supplementary. Children who are receiving play therapy can improve their social and communication skills in a fun setting. Instead than teaching kids how to play, child-centered play therapy lets them discover their own style of play at their own pace while fostering social skills. Children may spontaneously imitate the parent or the therapist playing with them as a result, which is a positive.
Fifth, adopting child-centered play therapy as a complementary intervention to behavioral interventions is probably effective because play therapy delves into behavioral domains like attachment behaviors and spontaneous play that behavioral interventions find difficult to access. Even if nothing else, play therapy may be helpful for autistic kids in some way.
The understanding of children with ASD has advanced throughout time, as has the body of research. There are now more interventions available as there are more kids with ASD. When contemplating therapies for children with ASD, it is crucial for parents and clinicians to become familiar with evidence-based interventions in order to avoid squandering time and money on ineffective ones.
It is still too early to say if child-centered play therapy will eventually become an evidence-based practise. It is necessary to perform more study on the effectiveness of child-centered play therapy. Overall, this study serves as a starting point for further discussion about how play might be included into successful interventions for kids with ASD.
In light of the fact that play is essential to a child’s development and that some children with ASD have difficulties with play, it is crucial to consider ways to incorporate play into future interventions for children with ASD, whether they involve using play therapy alone or in conjunction with other evidence-based behavioral treatments.
