The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

Many people believe that ABA can only be done at a table, in a contrived format. Though appropriate for some skills, natural environment instruction is often both more effective and more appropriate with very young children. This session will present a model for young teaching children with autism and other developmental disabilities using the principles of ABA in a natural play environment. By its very definition, autism is a disorder that negatively impacts a child's ability to play or engage socially or communicatively with others. Current estimates put the incidence of autism at approximately 1 in 166 persons, with many children identified with the disorder as young as 12 months of age. Children with autism do not typically engage in play experiences, and there is a noticeable lack of play in their activities. They tend to prefer to respond repetitively, in a self-stimulatory fashion, to toys and other objects with which typical children might play (Wolfberg, 1999). Thus, the benefits of play for typically developing young children are not experienced by children with autism. Typically developing children acquire many key early skills naturally through play. Among these skills: language, socialization, appropriate behaviors, adaptive (e.g., self-help) skills, gross and fine motor skills, and various cognitive skills such as theory of mind, memory and problem solving. For this reason, teaching play to children with autism is not only critical for their acceptance by society in general, but also for them to learn pivotal skills needed as they grow older.

Play-based interventions, according to Simpson (2005) are promising practices about which little has been studied or is known. This workshop will train participants on a specific play-based intervention, which is based in the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis. Unlike discrete trial instruction (a common strategy based in ABA principles) where one skill at a time is targeted for instruction, in Play-Based ABA, multiple skills may be targeted at once and the order is not pre-determined; instructors follow the interests of the child as much as possible. However, unlike Floor Time (a common model used with very young children, which follows the child's interests with little adult direction or specific instruction), the adult must direct the child and use ABA methodologies as opportunities arise in order to ensure that goals are addressed in each session. ABA principles routinely used in play-based sessions include positive reinforcement, systematic prompting and prompt fading, errorless learning, and generalization training (Scheuermann & Webber, 2002). Information will be provided in the form of handouts, lecture, videos, and PowerPoint presentation.

The purpose of this workshop is to provide the audience with necessary information and skills to begin to develop and incorporate Play-Based ABA strategies into early intervention programs for children with autism and other developmental disabilities or delays. The session is designed for parents as well as professionals. Videotaped sessions and interviews with parents and therapists who have used this method successfully will be shared. The presenter will teach participants to use the Play and Language Assessment and Curriculum instrument created specifically for play-based therapy for children with autism under age three. In addition to viewing videotaped sessions with actual children with autism, participants will have the opportunity to role play and practice the strategies they are taught. Discussion of the differences in play across cultures will be shared and discussed. Participants will be encouraged to brain storm and develop plans for autism play therapy before they leave the workshop. Information will be provided in the form of handouts, lecture, videos, and PowerPoint presentation. It is expected that following the training, participants will be able to use play-based ABA for intervention and/or research purposes. In addition to an overview of typical play development and the deficits children with autism may experience in the area of play, participants will be taught a specific model of play-based ABA, developed by the presenter. Following is an overview of this information.

Psychoanalysts have used play therapy with young children for decades because the nature of play allows for more natural interaction. For children with autism, little has been done in the way of play therapy given that they tend not to, in fact, play. However, therapy can also be instructive. Teaching to play and through play is the goal of play-based ABA. An overview of a play therapy session for a child with autism is provided here: 1. Allow 1-2 minutes of exploration wherein the child is allowed to engage with items at her free will without direct interaction; the therapist stays out of her play space but takes note of items of interest 2. During the exploration phase, provide vocabulary for actions and items in which the child engages or seems interested 3. Signal entry into child's play space by calling child's name and saying, “Lets play” or similar 4. Enter child's play space and begin instruction according to the skills targeted for instruction (note, skills should be visible so that therapist stays focused) 5. Reward skills and play behaviors 6. Redirect inappropriate behavior as needed to continue play activities and instruction; Reward appropriate behaviors immediately upon correction 7. Redirect self-stimulatory behaviors only if they interfere with the play or skills (e.g., flicking both hands interferes with catching a ball) 8. Use systematic prompting and errorless learning to teach or maintain skills 9. Use a clear transition signal to prompt time to go; praise or reward as appropriate

Participants in this session will leave with an understanding of the development of play in children with autism, the knowledge and skills necessary to describe a play-based ABA program for a young child with autism, and the basics necessary for implementing such a program. Evidence-based practices and implications for older children will also be shared.

Learning Objectives: