More Than Just Fun and Games: Definition, Development, and Intervention for Children’s Play and Social Skills

Abstract

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often experience deficits and abnormalities in the development of social and play skills. Given the importance of these domains, it is not surprising that a great deal of intervention research aimed at teaching children with ASD target play and social behaviors has been conducted. The interventions with the most supporting scientific evidence are the focus of the majority of this book. In this first chapter, we provide an overview of the sequence, and time frame-specific play and social skills are observed in typical developing children. Next, specific deficits and other abnormalities associated with the social and play skills of children with ASD are identified, defined, and discussed. Emphasis is placed on the play and social skills most often targeted in intervention research. Finally, before subsequent chapters discuss more specialized interventions, this chapter concludes with two simple recommendations appropriate for parents and early childcare professionals who aim to support the development of social and play skills in children with or without ASD.