Playfulness in Children with Autistic Disorder and their Typically Developing Peers

摘要

Play has a key role in every area of childhood development. This is no different for children with autistic disorder (AD), which is a developmental disorder characterised by severe and pervasive impairments in communication and social interaction and by a markedly restricted repertoire of activity and interests (American Psychiatric Association [APA] 2002). Therapists working with children with AD on a daily basis would expect these children to have difficulties with play. In fact, numerous studies have demonstrated differences in the constituent skills (for example, communication and sociability) of play between children with AD and children without dysfunction (Restall and Magill-Evans 1993) and with other conditions involving cognitive impairment (Libby et al 1997).