The Effectiveness of Play Therapy Intervention in Developing Social Skills for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Meta-Analysis

Abstract

The present study will examine existing data on the effectiveness of play therapy on the development of social skills in young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). As the prevalence of ASD diagnoses continues to rise, families and educators are faced with critical decisions about the selection and provision of evidence-based approaches, as well as a need for knowledge on the approach to disability and help with long-term management planning. The following study analyzes the effectiveness of Play Therapy Intervention in building Social Skills for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder using statistical evidence. The researcher used SPSS software to conduct statistical analyses to estimate effect sizes across the available data for the effectiveness of play therapy to foster social development in young children with ASD from 1 to 14 years old. The results revealed that play-based interventions are considered an effective intervention to support social development in young children, and type of play-based intervention as significant predictors of social development for young children with ASD who participate in play-based interventions. Such findings offer insights for families, clinicians, support providers, and decisionmakers that are purposely addressed in this analysis for their central role in the guidance in the implementation of various behavioral interventional modalities for ASD which aim to develop their social skills.