Development Of Symbolic Play Research Articles

Association Between Symbolic Play and Language: A Comparison Between Typically Developing Children and Children with Down Syndrome.

Language and symbolic play require the same underlying symbolic ability and develop parallel to one another. The aim of this study was to determine the association between symbolic play and vocabulary in typically developing children and children with Down syndrome in Malaysia. Twenty-five typically developing children and 25 children with Down syndrome aged between 12 and 36 months were involved in this study. They were recruited from an early intervention center and various kindergartens from the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Their play skills were assessed using the Symbolic Play Test Second Edition, and information about their vocabulary was obtained through the MacArthur Bates Communicative Development Inventories that was filled out by their parents. There was a significant difference in the vocabulary and symbolic play scores of children with Down syndrome compared with typically developing children. There was also a positive correlation between symbolic play scores and receptive and expressive vocabulary scores for both groups of children. When providing intervention, speech-language pathologists need to promote the development of symbolic play in addition to language, given the association between the two. They should also look into introducing an augmentative and alternative communication system to the children who demonstrate age-appropriate symbolic play skills but have trouble with symbolic language production.

S4A-18 SESSION 4A: GENERALITIES IN CRANIOSYNOSTOSIS – PART I SING AND SAY: AN INTERACTIVE WEB-BASED RESOURCE OF LANGUAGE STIMULATION RESOURCES FOR CHILDREN WITH CRANIOSYNOSTOSIS.

Introduction: The Four NHS-Designated Craniofacial Units in the UK regularly conduct assessments of children’s speech, language and feeding skills in accordance with an agreed national assessment protocol. During these assessments children with communication delay are identified and referred to local services for therapy. However, recent reports have identified that local Speech and Language Therapy services are fractured and variable, most recently described as a postcode lottery by ICAN (2018). A 2017 quality commission and Ofsted report also highlighted the difficulties that parents report in accessing SLT services. Methods: To support children (0 – 24 months of age) who are unable to access local speech and language therapy, the Oxford Craniofacial Unit Speech and Language Therapy team created an online suite of language stimulation resources called ‘Sing and Say’. Sing and Say features videos, animations, songs, information leaflets and an i-book. To measure the efficacy of the Sing and Say intervention, children’s language outcomes at their pre-operative and post-operative appointment are being compared. Here, we present data from the project pilot and the language results from the non-intervention group. Parent satisfaction was measured using an online questionnaire. Results: Results of the comprehensive baseline language assessment in the non-intervention group (n=58) indicate that 17% of children (n=10/58) presented with delayed early social skills; 22% presented with delayed speech development; 26% presented with delayed symbolic play development. Responses from the parent questionnaire indicated a 92.31% satisfaction rate (mean = 4.69, SD = 0.46) with the ease of use of the videos. Conclusion: Results of assessment reinforce the need for speech and language therapy intervention for children less than two years of age. Initial parental feedback indicated a high satisfaction rate with the Sing and Say resource. Data collection in the intervention group has now commenced.

Mother-Toddler Play Interaction in Extremely, Very Low Birth Weight, and Full-Term Children: A Longitudinal Study.

Introduction: Although preterm birth represents a risk factor for early mother-infant interactions, few studies have focused on toddlerhood, an important time for the development of symbolic play, autonomous skills, and child's socialization competences. Moreover, no study has looked at the effect of birth weight on mother-child interactions during this period. Expanding on the available literature on prematurity, the main objective of this study was to explore the quality of mother-toddler interactions during play, using a longitudinal research design, as well as taking into account the effect of birth weight.Method: 16 Extremely Low Birth Weight (ELBW), 24 Very Low Birth Weight (VLBW), 25 full-term children, and their mothers were recruited for the present study. Mother-child dyads were evaluated at 18, 24, and 30 months of child age. Ten minutes of mother-child play interaction were recorded and later coded according to the Emotional Availability Scales (EAS). Furthermore, the child's level of development was assessed through the Griffiths Scale, and its contribution controlled for.Results: ELBW dyads showed an overall lower level of emotional availability, compared to VLBW and full-term dyads, but no main effect of birth weight was found on specific EA dimensions. Moreover, a significant effect of child age emerged. Overall scores, and Child Responsiveness and Involvement scores improved over time, independently of birth weight. Lastly, a significant effect of the interaction between birth weight and child age was found. Between 18 and 30 months, the overall quality of the interaction significantly increased in ELBW and VLBW dyads. Additionally, between 18 and 30 months, VLBW children significantly improved their responsiveness, while their mothers' sensitivity, structuring, and non-intrusive behaviors improved. In contrast, no change emerged in full-term dyads, although scores were consistently higher than those of the other groups.Discussion: Birth weight affects the quality of mother-toddler interactions. Monitoring the relational patterns of preterm dyads during toddlerhood is important, especially in the case of ELBW children.

Forms of vitality play and symbolic play during the third year of life

This article focuses on the development of forms of vitality play, a recently described type of play, and links it to the development of symbolic play, one of the most studied types of play in developmental psychology. Two adult–infant dyads were videotaped longitudinally during in-house free play meetings every 15 days during the third year of life. Convergence technique was applied in order to accelerate the longitudinal study. A total of 17h 48min were registered in 28 sessions. An observational code with categories of forms of vitality play (a non-figurative play frame in which child and adult play together with the dynamics of their own movements and sounds in a repetition–variation form), symbolic play, and categories of combined patterns of both types of play was applied. The rate of each play was calculated for different age periods. Forms of vitality play is present at a constant rate during the third year of life. Symbolic play flourishes during this period. Combined play patterns are not the most frequent but are present from the beginning to the end of the third year. We suggest that FoVP favours intimate and intersubjective experiences essential to the understanding and the development of the interpersonal world; that it can be thought of as a good runway for the development of symbolic play; and that it prepares the child to participate in the temporal arts that belong to his culture.

Precursores de la Teoría de la Mente en niños con discapacidad

Recent studies looking into the development of mental precursors link the acquisition of the Theory of Mind to the previous appearance of symbolic play. When performing symbolic play tasks, the development of causal reasoning skills represents a differential factor, which is essential to the subsequent acquisition of the Theory of Mind. A total of 45 children (24 boys and 21 girls), aged between 24 and 39 months (with a DQ of 58-69), diagnosed with different conditions (delayed cognitive development, delayed language development and/or Pervasive Developmental Disorder). The aim of the study is to analyse the relation between mental precursors and different disabilities. The results show that the most widely affected mental prerequisite was found to be the development of Symbolic Play, which is directly related to the development of causal reasoning. No significant differences based on the type of condition were detected. The evidence has shown that the development of mental precursors is not a uniform process. It would therefore be recommendable to offer specific training in the development of mental precursors related to the development of causal reasoning.

An Investigation of The Development of Imitation Skill in Children with Autism and Its Relations with Receptive- Expressive Language Development and The Development of Symbolic Play

An Investigation of The Development of Imitation Skill in Children with Autism and Its Relations with Receptive- Expressive Language Development and The Development of Symbolic Play

Cognitive deficits and symbolic play in preschoolers with autism

This study investigated symbolic play in 12 children with autism and 12 children with typical development and compared theories that consider either theory of mind, executive function or central coherence to be causally involved in the development of symbolic play in autism. Children with autism demonstrated significantly less symbolic play than their typically developing peers and had significant deficits in theory of mind and central coherence measures but not executive function measures. A tentative conclusion is that symbolic play deficits in autism are more associated with theory of mind and weak central coherence.

The Need for More Effective Father Involvement in Early Autism Intervention

Fathers of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are underrepresented in both early intervention and research. However, fathers have unique interaction styles that make important contributions to the language and symbolic play development of typically developing children. Fathers may make similar contributions to the development of their children with ASD, who struggle with social-communicative deficits, particularly in the areas of language and symbolic play. This article provides a theoretical rationale for enhancing father—child involvement in early autism intervention that may lead to improved outcomes in child communication and symbolic play and have cascading benefits for families in reducing stress and enhancing coping mechanisms. To support this rationale, systematic reviews of the literature were conducted to (a) identify the extent of father involvement in parent training programs for children with autism, (b) identify the contributions of parents to the symbolic play outcomes of their children with ASD and other disabilities, and (c) examine differences in stress and coping experienced by mothers and fathers of children with ASD. Finally, possible barriers to father participation in early autism intervention are discussed and recommendations are offered for making parent-implemented early intervention for children with ASD more amenable to fathers.

Development of symbolic play through the use of virtual reality tools in children with autistic spectrum disorders

Difficulties in understanding symbolism have been documented as characteristic of autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs). In general, virtual reality (VR) environments offer a set of potential advantages for educational intervention in ASD. In particular, VR offers the advantage, for teaching pretend play and for understanding imagination, of it being possible to show these imaginary transformations explicitly. This article reports two case studies of children with autism (aged 8:6 and 15:7, both male), examining the effectiveness of using a VR tool specifically designed to work on teaching understanding of pretend play. The results, confirmed by independent observers, showed a significant advance in pretend play abilities after the intervention period in both participants, and a high degree of generalization of the acquired teaching in one of them.

Treatment of an Adopted Child The Case of Roger

This article offers a series of vignettes from a treatment of an 11-year-old boy who was adopted at birth. At the beginning of the three-year treatment, the boy, then eight years old, was overwhelmed by feelings of anxiety and anger and given to tantrums and breaking things. The reader is brought into the consulting room to observe the development of symbolic play and to watch the therapeutic relationship slowly develop. Detailed descriptions of the interactions between patient and therapist serve to illustrate the emergence of adoption-related themes in the play, gradually leading to interpretations that help the patient discover important connections between current difficulties and conflicts rooted in his experience of adoption. By the end of treatment, this sad little boy is a precocious chess player who can be competitive with his therapist as well as ask for what he needs and find solutions to his problems.

The development of symbolic play and language in toddlers with cleft palate.

This study compared the longitudinal performance of two groups of toddlers with palatal clefts and an age-matched group of children without palatal clefts on measures of elicited symbolic play at 18, 24, and 30 months. The results indicated that the group with isolated cleft palate differed significantly from both the cleft lip and palate group and the noncleft group on all but 1 play measure. Correlational analyses for each group indicated significant positive correlations between a number of the play variables at 18 months and productive vocabulary and MLU at 24 and 30 months of age. The findings suggest that assessment of early play gestures may assist clinicians in identifying children with clefts who are at risk for later language impairment.

The relationship of mother–child interaction and the child's development of symbolic play

AbstractThe extent to which the mother–child interactive relationship either promotes or limits a child's ability to see options or choices in the environment was investigated. It was predicted that this quality of interaction provided primarily by the mother would relate to the child's cognitive development as reflected in his or her level of symbolic play. The level and frequency of symbolic and nonsymbolic play in 30 children, ages 12 to 47 months, were coded and mothers' options‐promoting and options‐limiting behaviors were identified. Children, across this range of ages, whose mothers created an options‐promoting social context were observed engaging in more symbolic play. Nonsymbolic play, however, was not found to be significantly influenced by the mother's interactive style. A child's symbolic play marks a dynamic developmental achievement for the child, and appears to be related to the social context created by the mother's interactive style. ©2003 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health.

Relations entre jeu de fiction et langage avant trois ans : de l'émergence de la fonction sémiotique à celle de la " théorie de l'esprit " en action

<titre>SUMMARY Title&#160;: Relationship between symbolic play and language before age three</titre> After a reminder of the development of symbolic play in young children, we consider three ways of conceiving the relationship between language and symbolic play, each of them clarifying different aspects of the relationship between them. The first one, based on Piaget hypothesis that language and symbolic play are manifestations of a more general semiotic function, examines whether their emergence and early developments occur in close temporal relation to each other. The second way considers the relation from the point of view of the specific contributions of language to the construction and development of symbolic play. Starting from this interaction between language and play, the third way of considering the relation between them considers the communicative aspect of the verbalisations produced in symbolic play episodes. Results of the longitudinal study of 4 children, followed between&#160;15/17 and 20/27 months, and observed during natural interaction in their familiar environment, show that language is used in symbolic play from very early on. However, it is only from a certain point in development, whose age varies, that children choose to verbalise preferentially those aspects of play whose symbolic meaning is more difficult to grasp from an observer&#8217;s point of view. The existence of this change and its co-occurrence with other informative type of language uses (references to past and justifications) is interpreted as revealing the beginnings of an implicit &#171;&#160;theory of mind&#160;&#187; in action.

Symbolic Play: Opportunities for cognitive and language development in preschool settings

This contribution highlights the impact of contextual factors (the structure and realism of toys and the play situation) on the development of symbolic play. The studies compared three age groups of children in preschool settings. In the first study we varied the degree of structure in the toys. The level of the play was evaluated by a five-level scale of development in the use of toys and objects. In the second study we varied the theme of the play and analysed the complexity of the play by using Smilansky's Scale for the Evaluation of Dramatic and Socio-dramatic Play. The results of both studies confirm that the level and complexity of children's symbolic play depend on both play materials and the play context. Therefore, preschool teachers should consider both aspects when planning, organising and supervising the play of children in preschool settings.

Developmental Delay, Symbolic Play and Non-Directive Play Therapy

This paper focuses on non-directive play therapy with maltreated and neglected young children, and explores ways in which their symbolic play seems to be activated and accelerated during play therapy. The frameworks of attachment and cognitive development are utilized to examine therapeutic relationships. Examples from normal development and from therapeutic work are given in order to describe more precisely the seemingly essential features in the development of symbolic play in young children. The important features of a child’s social environment, physical environment and internal state which seem to contribute to the activation of symbolic play are then discussed in more detail. Finally, it is argued, studying a child’s transition from concrete to symbolic play during play therapy contributes to our understanding not only of damaged and delayed children’s development, but also provides additional information on normal children’s development of this capacity.

A study of cognitive development and behavior problems in mentally retarded children.

Cognitive development in seventy-one mentally retarded children (19 autistic, 52 non-autistic; aged 7-19 years) from a school for handicapped children was studied, using Ohta's scale for evaluating cognitive development level based on language comprehension (Ohta's stage), and other developmental scales. Behavior problems were also examined. The present study reports on the utility of Ohta's stage in non-autistic children, and the relationship between cognitive development level and behavior problems in mentally retarded children. In non-autistic children, there were temporal correlations between Ohta's stage and other development scales (a standard developmental test, speech development, symbolic play development, imitation development), suggesting that in non-autistic children as well, Ohta's stage may serve well as a scale for cognitive development, and reflect symbolic representational functioning. In non-autistic children, most behavior problems in feeding, elimination and sleeping, hyperkinesis, hypokinesis, stereotyped behaviors, self-injurious behavior and licking were closely associated with cognitive development level, and were more often noted in children of lower cognitive development level rather than only in the severely mentally retarded children. Some behavior problems may often occur in the sensorimotor period and hardly occur in the symbolic representational period.

Symbolic play in mixed-age and same-age groups

SUMMARY In Slovenia many mixed-age groups have recently been formed in early childhood institutions. Results of research from various countries show that, in most cases, mixing of children of different ages in early childhood institutions has many advantages. It has an impact on a child's cognitive, social and emotional development, as well as on the social atmosphere of the group. In Slovenia, however, appropriate studies referring to this topic have not been conducted yet. The present research deals with the development of symbolic play, more precisely with the degree of symbolic transformation in same-age and mixed-age groups. In the sample there were four mixed-age and four same-age groups. Several aspects of symbolic play were analysed, especially the content, the degree of complexity and the wholeness of the symbolic transformation. These variables were the basis for the comparison between the children in the mixed-age groups and the children in the same-age groups. The results show some interesting differences in the level of symbolism in the play and also the difference in the degree of complexity between children in both groups. These results have practical implications for preschool teachers. They indicate how and where preschool teachers should stimulate the symbolic play of children as well as some new ways of learning of preschool children.

Effects of maternal deprivation on the capacity to play: A Winnicottian perspective on work with inner-city children.

This article addresses the challenge that inner-city children present to the psychoanalytically oriented therapist. Particularly, it is about one deeply troubled, severely deprived boy and his discovery of a capacity unsually taken for granted in children: the capacity to become engrossed in play. Winnicott's work is used to understand how a life of neglect and deprivation might interfere with the development of symbolic play and, furthermore, how this capacity can be awakened in the course of the treatment.

Effects of maternal deprivation on the capacity to play: A Winnicottian perspective on work with inner-city children.

This article addresses the challenge that inner-city children present to the psychoanalytically oriented therapist. Particularly, it is about one deeply troubled, severely deprived boy and his discovery of a capacity unsually taken for granted in children: the capacity to become engrossed in play. Winnicott's work is used to understand how a life of neglect and deprivation might interfere with the development of symbolic play and, furthermore, how this capacity can be awakened in the course of the treatment.

Playful Relationships: A Contextual Analysis of Mother-Toddler Interaction and Symbolic Play

The relation between social interaction and complexity of toddler's symbolic play was investigated. 57 toddlers between 15 and 24 months of age were observed under 4 conditions: (1) child play alone, (2) child play with mother, (3) child modeling mother, and (4) child play with mother following the modeling condition. Each subject was rated on complexity of play, maternal attention directing, reciprocity, and maternal intrusiveness. Significant condition effects were found in which more complex forms of play were observed when the children were playing with their mothers than when playing by themselves. Maternal intrusions and questioning were negatively related to symbolic play. Turn-taking was negatively related to simple exploratory play. Results of a sequential analysis demonstrated that turn-taking was more likely to precede symbolic play, and maternal intrusiveness was more likely to precede simple exploratory play. The role of active partnership in symbolic play development is discussed.