Play video Transcript

Welcome to the workshop about Play.

 

I am Lauren, an Occupational Therapist in the Social Communication Team and together we will be thinking about play; what this means for your child and how to develop new skills and have fun with them while doing so.

 

Of all the occupations that children engage in, play is the most important. It is their main job.

 

Play contributes to healthy brain development. It is through play that children learn to engage, to interact with and master the world around them.

 

Play and learning therefore go hand in hand.

 

It takes place in all their core environments: at home, at school or nursery and in the community.

 

Occupational Therapists in our team enable parents to play with their children in a meaningful way to facilitate their development and learning.

 

Play develops so many skills:

 

As play is so physical children climb and run and continue to improve their upper body strength, they keep challenging their balance and coordination and eye hand coordination skills so that they can swing, climb, ride a tricycle, kick and catch a ball and navigate their way around obstacles.

 

Visual perceptual skills are developing as children turn their heads to look at someone calling them, or to find their best toy amongst other toys, to track moving objects like balls, look at pictures in books, find hidden objects on a page. And they will need these skills at school to copy from the chalk board and when they are learning to read.

 

Play also develops children’s fine motor skills as they pick up bricks, grasp small objects and manipulate and operate switches on toys. They learn to use two hands together to clap and then to catch a ball and then later, learn to use their leading hand as their dominant hand, to eat with and to hold crayons and paint brushes.

 

Cognition skills also start developing as children work out how to use toys, build and create, problem solve and plan what they are going to do and how to start to use their imagination.

 

Attention skills also develop, as they focus and concentrate on what they are doing and then watch others and start to copy them.

 

Play also helps to develop social skills and children learn to play with others, to share, to take turns and share ideas. Games like peekaboo and making silly faces with them is the start of being sociable with your child and getting them to interact with you and then with others. Then, as they get older, they chase one another and start to share and turn take in games with rules.

 

Emotional skills start to develop too as children start to have an identity and sense of self, separate from others.

 

Emotional wellbeing is a skill that is constantly developing as children enjoy themselves, discover what they like and what they don’t like, feel a sense of pride when they succeed in play and also start to regulate their own emotions.

 

We recognise that for your autistic child, play can look a bit different:

 

Some differences may include: -

 

We know that autistic children do want to join in with others but might need some help doing so.

 

You can play alongside them and copy what they are doing. This can make them feel good about what they are doing first.

 

When the time is right, and your child is relaxed, you could model one new way to play with a toy.

 

You could introduce a quick turn taking game like rolling a ball to them or placing a brick to help them to build a tower, or passing an item to them that they need.

 

By using timers or visuals like a “now and then” board, you can help your child to feel relaxed by showing them that now they are playing with mummy or daddy, and next they can go back to their own game.

 

When a little older they might find games with clear rules easier to join in, like “What’s the time Mister Wolf?”, catching games or easy board games like snakes and ladders, and Lotto.

 

It is good to start with a play routine if your child doesn’t play with you at the moment.

 

Start playing with them every day at the same time so that it becomes part of their routine and predictable for them. Show visuals to them for the beginning, the middle (which will be the play activity) and then the end, so that they know what to expect and when it will be finished.

 

Songs with actions are a great way to get your child playing with you and having fun. Songs always start the same way and end the same way, so they will be predictable for your child.

 

Start with easy songs that they enjoy.

 

The occupational therapy hierarchy is about making sure we have the foundations before moving on to the next level, even though all these skills are developing at once. We would start in the 1st pink area of sensory:

 

You may need to think about the room you’re in, the noise level, is the area clutter free? Is it easy to relax and concentrate in? Is this a good time to have a movement break before moving on to the next area? And please look at the sensory workshop for ideas.

 

Moving onto the orange area, attention - is your child able to focus on a game with you? Are they ready to play?

 

Next, looking at the blue area of motor and posture- Is it better to play with them on the floor or are they better sitting at a table? Where are they able to sit and relax and where do they prefer? Do they prefer moving around, or sitting still?

 

Then the green area of fine motor skills: a hand warm up might be appropriate, before trying to help them manipulate small objects or just generally practicing fine motor skills needed for playing, like using their thumb, their index finger and their middle finger – a tripod grasp - to manipulate with.

 

Setting goals is an important step. It helps us to focus on one thing at a time, have a starting point and realising the small steps your child is making, are actually really good progress. It helps us to slow down and break up tasks into achievable steps.

 

Start with something important to you and your child. Know that achievements can be slower, and that your child may need lots more time to adjust.

 

Don’t get despondent but persevere and be consistent.

 

If you make the goal part of your daily routine, your child will get used to the new way over time and may suddenly make good progress.

 

Use goal – plan – do – check. The goal must be clear and have an end result. What do you want to achieve? Plan – how will you do it? Where will you do it? What do you need? And then, do it – Do the skill, practice it, and try to master it. And then check it – what is working and what isn’t working? What do you need to adjust before you continue?

 

Remember we are turning what your child can’t do into what you do want them to do. The long-term goal may seem unreachable now, so the goal will be the first step towards it….and must be something achievable.

 

For example,

 

My child cannot build with Lego, but they may be able to put two Duplo blocks together.

 

My child cannot catch a ball, but they may be able to roll the ball to you on the floor.

 

My child cannot do a puzzle, but you may be able to start with shape sorters.

 

My child cannot take turns, but they may be able to reach into a bag to get an object for their turn.

 

My child cannot pretend in play, but they may be able to give teddy a drink.

 

Set an achievable goal.

 

Practice, practice, practice.

 

Make playing fun, there is no wrong way to play.

 

Go to the park as often as possible and make playing together a 5-minute daily routine.

 

Please join me on the next steps sessions for more support.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to watch this video from the social communication team.

 

We really hope that you have found it useful.

 

Please take the time to complete our feedback form to let us know how you found it.

 

You can access the form by using the QR code; hover your phone on this QR code, which will direct you to the feedback form.

 

Thank you