Research suggests that preschool autistic children do not develop play in the same way as a normally developing youngster.
Preschool autistic children do not interact in the same way as a normally developing child and are not as likely to want to explore their environment.
What is autism?
Autism is a disorder affecting the brain- some of the symptoms of autism are:
Imagination and Interaction deficits.
So how does this affect preschool autistic children play?
To begin understanding autism play, we first should look at what is meant by playâ€¦
Play is spontaneous
Play is imaginative
Play should be fun and enjoyable
Play involves an active role by the person playing
Play can be solitary or with another person
“Preschool autistic children and what is autism”
So how will the symptoms of autism affect the act of play in autistic children?
In normally developing children the use pf play helps with development, for example:
Play has various stages…
Sensory stimulation a baby stimulated and attracted for example to a cot mobile or baby gym.
Exploratory play a youngster playing with Lego, or a cardboard box even. This is how a child begins interacting with their environment. With autistic children this inquisitiveness is missing.
Physical play this includes actually touching others for example, rough and tumble, football and interactive pretend play.
Social play this includes wanting to play with other children, for example on the playground, at the park etc.
Pretend play Make believe play, all normally developing children will engage in pretend play, this is part of development.
Play is a natural process a normally developing child goes through. It helps them explore their thoughts, feelings and interact with their peers and their environment.
In autistic children the need to play and be inquisitive is missing
Autistic children prefer their own company and lack interest in their environment; they preferrepetition to imagination and compulsive play.
Preschool autistic children may not stimulated by a bright colored cot mobile, or play gym, do not want to engage in pretend or rough and tumble play. Lack the inquisitiveness for exploratory play and do not understand why or how to engage in pretend play.
When preschool autistic children begin preschool the differences in behaviors of a normally developing and an autistic child can become apparent.
There are ways as a preschool teacher or parent you can help the autistic child manage their behaviors and experiences at preschool by implementing autism social storiesâ€¦
Research suggest autistic children respond well to autism social stories and therefore they can be introduced into daily and preschool lives affectively-giving the preschool autistic child clear coping mechanisms and instructions on how to interact with others and perform everyday tasks.
For example how to “pretend play”, “say hi”, “share toys” or perform tasks such as tooth brushing, visiting the doctor, starting preschool and so on…
Autism social stories are available in printable format making sharing them with all responsible in your autistic childâ€™s care easy.
Implementing autism social stories is easy and effective. Research shows autism social stories are widely used with positive affects and results.
For immediate downloads visit one of these main autism sites:
The most recent autism informationresearch on what causes autism, shows that an autistic individual has several genes, which may contribute to the disorder. It is also believed several brain regions also show forms of abnormalities.
The latest autism information research into the causes of autism, also reports shows a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, and sometimes other factors contribute to autism.
Suggestions into possible autism causes were that neurotransmitters in the brain may not be working normally, or even a faulty immune system could be the cause, or a virus.
Some autism information suggested the autistic individual may have been subjected to an increased level of protein in the mother’s blood during birth as being as one of the autism causes.
Or other suggestions were extreme stress in the mother whilst pregnant may be one of the causes of autismspectrum.
However as yet no reasonably complete answer to the question what causes autism has been found. Research continues into this complex disorder.
Scientists have also been exploring the possibility of genetic imprinting which could help determine the parental donor of the abnormal gene.
The autism spectrum ranges from low functioning autism where an individualmay have little or no speech, severe mental disabilities, maybe seizures, and will use stimming, like hand flapping and rocking.
To high functioning autism or aspergers syndrome, these individuals are less impaired with odd social approaches, narrowly focused interests, social impairments and communication difficulties.
Which ever end of the spectrum you autistic child is on there are common traits with autism spectrum disorder:
All of these issues will be present in autism no matter where on the autism spectrum you child falls.
There are many autism resources available to parent, individuals, educators and guardians of autistic individuals One autism resources…which and probably in our opinion one of the easiest to implement and use are autism social skills stories.