Exploring the presence of characteristics associated with play within the ritual repetitive behaviour of autistic children

Abstract

This exploratory study, undertaken in Wales, United Kingdom, in 2010, looked at 36 episodes of repetitive behaviour in nine autistic children between the ages of 6 and 12 years to consider if these behaviours were consonant with behaviours associated with play. The participants were observed during break time sessions within a special school setting. A detailed analysis of each episode of ritual repetitive behaviour in relation to characteristics associated with playful attitude was then conducted using Rubin, Fein, and Vandenberg's (1983, Handbook of Child Psychology) criteria for play, The Ludic Model (Ferland, 1997, Play, children with physical disabilities and occupational therapy: The Ludic Model) and the Leuvens Involvement Scale (Laevers, 1994, The Leuvens Involvement Scale for Young Children (LIC-YC)). Results suggest that the children's ritual and repetitive behaviour contained many of the characteristics associated with playful attitude as well as multiple indicators of involvement. The paper suggests that autistic children may benefit from an acknowledgement that some of their repetitive behaviour may be viewed as atypical play and that further research into the function and form of repetitive behaviour is warranted.