and make sounds. I would respond to him by making statements such build our therapeutic relationship. I did this by accepting his different movements as play. I aimed to learn his non-verbal communication and to empathically understand David rather than to get him to act
After a few sessions, David began to explore the playroom, and his I set limits about staying in the play space. However, for David, exploring the classroom seemed necessary for him to feel safe and comfortable in the room. I trusted his inner direction to guide our sessions while also assessing the need to set limits.
quickly come to me when I would pick him up from his classroom and in the center of the portable classroom. I aimed to connect with him and understand his experience by leaning/bending down to his level. I continued to respond in both languages and softened my tone of as he made his way to my feet. I remained leaning forward and used silence to allow space for our emotional connection. He then placed his hands on my feet and legs. He also placed his right and left cheek comfortable with him getting to know me and recognized this was his way of connecting with me. He continued this play in the next two sessions and with each session would maintain longer instances of physical contact. His touch progressed to my hands, and he would guide my hands to his face such that my hands would hold his face. placed his hands on my face while we maintained eye contact. These moments demonstrated his deep desire to be connected and communicated to me that he felt safe, seen, and understood. By any different, our relationship strengthened.
The remaining sessions included him spending more time in the playroom space. His play included a doll house scene in which a family would get ready to go to sleep. I responded “they're going to He repeated this scene several times before moving to a different area in the room. At times he would venture into the classroom area. I trust him and his ability to meet his needs within our relationship. His verbal responses increased, and he would imitate my responses
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play differed from that of the other children, whether neurotypical or neurodivergent, he was playing in his own way. Through meeting him where he was at, I was able to learn what that looked like for him and had the opportunity to connect with him on a deeper level.
In addition to the changes in the playroom, the teacher observed David begin to ask for hugs after 12 sessions; and after 16 sessions, expressing his preferences when given a direction, indicating his reports are consistent with David’s scores on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC-2; Aman & Singh, 2017), a standardized measurement commonly used to measure progress of autism intervention. The ABC-2 measures autistic children’s behavioral concerns in areas such as irritability, hyperactivity, social withdrawal, and speech problems. Before participating in CCPT, David scored in the 84th percentile on challenges in social interactions and engagement compared to the autistic children sample assessed with this instrument. After 16 sessions, his score on the social withdrawal scale decreased to the 50th percentile, indicating notable improvement in this area.
Conclusion growing body of research. In the presented case, we illustrated how the play therapist meets autistic children where they are, not only by personalizing and intentionally applying CCPT skills, but also by fostering trust in both the child and the therapeutic process. To address the therapeutic needs of autistic children, the play therapist facilitates the child’s direction while attending to their social, emotional, sensory, and language needs. Through the therapeutic relationship, the play therapist fosters positive changes that can extend beyond the playroom and into the child's everyday life.
References
Aman, M. G. & Singh, N. N. (2017). Aberrant Behavior Checklist Manual (2nd ed.). Slosson Educational Publications Inc. American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). American Psychiatric Association.
Carden, M. (2009). Understanding Lisa: A play therapy intervention with a child diagnosed on the autistic spectrum who presents with self-harming behaviors. British Journal of Play Therapy, 5, 54–62.
in EEG alpha power and behavioural outcome in autistic children trial. Counselling & Psychotherapy Research. Advance online publication.
https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12813 Chapman, R., (2020). Neurodiversity, wellbeing, disability. In H. Rosqvist, N. Chown & A. Stenning (Eds.) Neurodiversity studies: A new critical paradigm (pp. 57–72). Routledge. Chung, R. K. (2023). Child-Centered Play Therapy and Emotional
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