Play Approaches


Children with Autism


| THERESA M. NOWAK, PHD, NCSP; SHIRLEY CHAISE SMITH, BS; & ALEXANDRIA FARMER, MS


I


n 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  eight years of age, in the US meets the diagnostic criteria


     early developmental periods, though the symptoms may not manifest until personal resources prove inadequate for meeting environmental demands: (a) social communication and social interaction; and (b) restricted or


repetitive behavior patterns, interests, or activities


(American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Additionally, ASD may be accompanied by other somatic (e.g., seizure, gastrointestinal, and


20 | PLAYTHERAPY March 2019 | www.a4pt.org


auditory) or


psychiatric (e.g., mood, bipolar, depression, anxiety,


dissociative, and somatoform) disorders (Doshi-Velez, Ge, & Kohane, 2014).


 time understanding, recognizing, and expressing emotions. They may struggle with social interactions and everyday tasks that their neurotypical peers take for granted. They also exhibit differences in play style that may be related to the repetitive behaviors characteristic of ASD, particularly lacking interest in imaginative and socially


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