The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

This session will provide teachers and families with an overview of the Integrated Play Groups Model, which supports children with autism in mutually enjoyed play experiences with typical peers. This session will also include fun demonstrations of autism awareness activities that can be used to educate typical peers about autism. The difficulties that children with autism spectrum disorders experience with peer play and socialization can cause both teachers and parents to wonder how they can help their children and students learn these important friendship skills. Through much research, Pamela Wolfberg, Ph.D., has developed a practical model to enhance peer play in children with autism spectrum disorders. Integrated Play Groups are designed to support children of diverse ages and abilities on the autism spectrum (novice players) in mutually enjoyed play experiences with typical peers and siblings (expert players). Small groups of children regularly play together under the guidance of a qualified adult facilitator (play guide) within home, school and community settings. As a Master Play Guide, I have facilitated Integrated Play Groups with over sixty elementary age school children (novice and expert players) over the past 6 years.

There are many benefits to Integrated Play Groups. The novice players benefit in the areas of social interaction, communication, language, representational play and related symbolic activity (writing and drawing). The expert players benefit by showing greater self esteem, awareness, empathy and acceptance for individual differences. Both novice and expert players form mutual friendships while having fun together.

This session will briefly address the key features of the Integrated Play Groups Model, before moving into video examples of children in grades kindergarten through fifth grade participating in Integrated Play Groups in the public school setting. I will also share numerous visual supports that I have created to facilitate play and social understanding for my groups of children. You will see how the IPG Model can be successfully implemented with children anywhere on the autism spectrum. Several examples of how play sessions have been tailored to the child with autism's unique interests and abilities will be shared. In addition, I will discuss several tips for people that would like to get Integrated Play Groups up and running. These are things that I have learned over the past 6 years, which will be helpful to those who are just beginning their IPG adventure. In this session, you will also hear the amazing story of how two children (one neuro-typical and one with autism) forged a friendship that will warm your heart.

This session will also go into more detail (than past IPG sessions) regarding how to facilitate exciting and fun autism awareness presentations for typical peers. This is an extremely important part of training the expert players, as well as the entire regular education classroom (and often times the regular education teacher too!). The focus is on teaching the peer group to be more accepting, responsive and inclusive of children who relate and play in different ways. I will give hands on demonstrations showing how to do some of the awareness activities, as well as discuss how I explain what autism is to typical children.

This session draws on current research and best practices, which are thoroughly documented in the following books:

Wolfberg, P.J. (1999). Play and Imagination in Children with Autism. NY: Teachers College Press.

Wolfberg, P.J. (2003). Peer Play and the Autism Spectrum: The Art of Guiding Children's Socialization and Imagination. Shawnee Mission, KS: Autism Asperger Publishing Company.

Learning Objectives (Participants will become familiar with):

• The Integrated Play Groups Model

• The difficulties that children with autism experience with play and socialization

• How to use visual support to enhance peer play and socialization

• How to use unusual or intense interests to make interesting play activities

• How to do fun and informative autism awareness presentations for regular education classrooms

Content Area: Social Skills