More than child's play: The potential benefits of play-based interventions for young children with ADHD

摘要

The phrase 'play-based interventions' tends to generate thoughts and images of play therapy. This treatment, which originated with Anna Freud and Melanie Klein, and was subsequently developed by Axline, Landreth and others, uses play as the primary way in which a child expresses him/herself and communicates with the therapist [1]. From this perspective, in the context of a safe therapeutic relationship, during play with the therapist children express their feelings and learn more adaptive strategies to manage their distress and improve their level of functioning [1].