Play Interactions Research Articles

Peri-partum psychosis: How does parental reflective function affect the quality of mother-infant interaction?

IntroductionThe purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the impact of peri-partum psychosis on parental reflective function and quality of mother-infant interaction in a South African sample at high risk of developing attachment difficulties. Besides the effects of physical separation, attachment difficulties may arise from other maternal factors, such as a lack of reflective capacity or negative symptoms affecting the warmth with which a mother interacts with her child. This study examined the quality of mother-infant interaction to determine how the presence of psychotic symptoms during pregnancy or shortly after delivery affects aspects like maternal sensitivity, child social involvement and dyadic engagement. Ultimately, the study aimed to investigate the association between psychosis, parental reflective functioning and quality of parent-infant interaction.MethodsThe study followed a descriptive, observational design. Mothers were recruited if they experienced psychotic symptoms during pregnancy or within the first 6 months postpartum. Demographic information and psychiatric history were collected. Parental reflective function was assessed by the Parent Development Interview (PDI), and the quality of mother-infant interaction in an unstructured play interaction was coded using the Coding Interactive Behaviour (CIB).ResultsEight participants aged between 22 and 44 years, with diagnoses of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and MDD with psychosis, were recruited. Parental reflective functioning showed significant variation with scores approaching and exceeding ordinary reflective functioning, typically found in non-clinical populations. At the time of the play interaction, infants were aged between 6 and 10 months. Play interactions were mostly parent-led, with some surprising findings, such as a lower than anticipated frequency of parental negative affect, moderate maternal sensitivity and wide variation in scores for infant withdrawal.ConclusionThe results found in this small sample of mothers with peri-partum psychosis have presented unexpected results, both in terms of higher than anticipated capacity for parental reflective functioning and aspects of the quality of interaction with their infants. Possible implications for future interventions will be discussed.

Investigating Stay, Play, & Talk: A Peer-Mediated Social Skills Intervention for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Social Challenges

Two preliminary pilot phases of a peer-mediated social skills program—Stay, Play, and Talk—within inclusive early years settings in Ontario, Canada, investigated changes in observed social interactions and perceived social skills. In Phase 1, a single-subject AB design demonstrated increases in total social interaction units for two of three kindergarten participants during structured activities, and pre- and post-intervention educator ratings demonstrated small social skill increases with peers for all three participants. In Phase 2, pre- and post-intervention educator ratings for nine participants in a group design demonstrated increases in play interaction and disruption and decreases in play disconnection, with a large effect size for increases in play interaction. Findings suggest that program participation within structured settings may support social skills gains for children with social communication difficulties.

놀이적 상호작용의 치료적 의미: 언어발달지연 아동과 어머니의 부모-자녀 관계치료(CPRT)에서

놀이적 상호작용의 치료적 의미: 언어발달지연 아동과 어머니의 부모-자녀 관계치료(CPRT)에서

Shaking the bad boys: troubling the criminalization of black boys’ childhood play, hegemonic white masculinity and femininity, and the school playground-to-prison pipeline

ABSTRACT Few studies have sought to understand the childhood play experiences of Black boys in early childhood education (ECE), and a majority of those that investigate them often socially construct Black boys’ play as criminal, dangerous, and monstrous. Considering the dangers of hegemonic masculinity and femininity or the racial and gendered power and privilege White boys and girls bring to societal spaces including playgrounds, little is known about how such power influences the experiences of Black boys who play with them. In this conceptual paper, I draw on critical race theory (CRT) to trouble the criminalization of Black boys’ childhood play and hegemonic White masculinity and femininity, which can prove violent and dehumanizing to Black boys. As such, I suggest that similar to the school-to-prison pipeline (STPP), Black boys may become victims of what I call the school playground-to-prison pipeline (SPTPP) as a consequence of White children’s accusations, fears, misperceptions, and misreadings of Black boys’ play. Recommendations are provided for teacher and ECE to better support Black boys and the cross-cultural play interactions between them and White children.

Das Baby auf dem Kompost – Now Moments im Spiel einer Kinderanalyse

Abstract In the following paper, Scenic Narrative Microanalysis (Hamburger 2015) is applied to a 50-minutes session of a long-term child psychoanalytic play therapy. The aim of the study was to extract Now Moments respectively Moments of Meeting (Stern 2004) in the playful interaction between the psychotherapist and her four-year-old girl-patient. Results of the individual ratings of the transcript, as well as the group’s consensus discussion are critically discussed and related to the psychodynamic content of the session itself and in addition to the results of the other chapters in this section.

Comprensiones sobre la práctica Pedagógica del profesor: la lúdica en la Hora del Cuento

Na atualidade, a reflexão pedagógica sobre educação, parece apontar, de diferentes lugares, para o estudo do que ocorre no microcosmo da sala de aula e mais especificamente com as práticas docentes. O objetivo deste artigo é compreender a importância da inclusão de processos de apoio pedagógico por meio de estratégias lúdicas desenvolvidas na hora do conto sobre a prática pedagógica de professores. A metodologia é qualitativa e a partir da perspectiva da Análise Textual Discursiva, se questiona sobre a reflexibilidade de quatro professores de uma escola pública de Porto Alegre no Brasil. Estes participaram de um processo de apoio em sala de aula estruturado como parte do Projeto Biblioteca Viva: espaço de apoio ao ensino e aprendizagem. Os resultados mostram que o apoio educacional, por meio de interações lúdicas se consolidada como espaço altamente valorizado pelos professores, na medida em que facilita, de uma forma prática e experimental, o resignificar, o reaprender, o lembrar-se e observar suas práticas de ensino, tanto em uma dimensão pessoal e de autoconhecimento como também de uma forma interativa, relacional e potencializadora para a aprendizagem de seus alunos.

Designing an augmented tabletop game for children with cognitive disabilities: The “Home game” case

AbstractThis paper presents “Home game,” a multimodal interactive educational game that supports training in independent living for children with cognitive disabilities. It is intended to be used under the supervision of educators in a rehabilitation center. The game features a variety of exercises that incorporate multimedia, virtual environments, tangible, and playful interaction to facilitate learning of the main rooms of a house, daily routines, and how to avoid inappropriate or prevent hazardous behaviors. It enhances touch‐based interaction with physical manipulation through printed cards on a tabletop setup, using a webcam to recognize and track cards on a board. This paper describes the system, along with the development process and the results of a preliminary user‐based evaluation. Furthermore, it reports the insights and lessons learned throughout the process of developing tangible educational technologies for children with cognitive impairments, in terms of functionality, interaction, and evaluation with children.

Mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders: Play behaviors with infant siblings and social responsiveness.

Mother-infant interactions are a proximal process in early development and may be especially salient for children who are at risk for social difficulties (i.e. infant siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder). To inform how indices of maternal behaviors may improve parent-mediated interventions designed to mitigate autism spectrum disorder risk, the present study explored maternal social responsiveness ratings and social behaviors during dyadic play interactions. Dyads were recruited from families with at least one older child with autism spectrum disorder (high-risk group, n = 90) or families with no history of autism spectrum disorder (low-risk group, n = 62). As part of a prospective study, interactions were coded when infant siblings were 6, 9, and 12 months of age, for gaze, affect, vocalizations, and multimodal bids or responses (i.e. social smiles). Maternal social responsiveness was indexed via the Social Responsiveness Scale. Mothers in both risk groups had comparable Social Responsiveness Scale scores and social behaviors during play. Two maternal behaviors emerged as positive correlates of infant social behaviors and are thus of high relevance to parent-mediated interventions. Specifically, more maternal positive affect and the use of multimodal bids or responses were associated with more infant positive affect, vocalizations, gaze to face, and multimodal bids or responses.

Developing Hierarchical Schemas and Building Schema Chains Through Practice Play Behavior.

Examining the different stages of learning through play in humans during early life has been a topic of interest for various scholars. Play evolves from practice to symbolic and then later to play with rules. During practice play, infants go through a process of developing knowledge while they interact with the surrounding objects, facilitating the creation of new knowledge about objects and object related behaviors. Such knowledge is used to form schemas in which the manifestation of sensorimotor experiences is captured. Through subsequent play, certain schemas are further combined to generate chains able to achieve behaviors that require multiple steps. The chains of schemas demonstrate the formation of higher level actions in a hierarchical structure. In this work we present a schema-based play generator for artificial agents, termed Dev-PSchema. With the help of experiments in a simulated environment and with the iCub robot, we demonstrate the ability of our system to create schemas of sensorimotor experiences from playful interaction with the environment. We show the creation of schema chains consisting of a sequence of actions that allow an agent to autonomously perform complex tasks. In addition to demonstrating the ability to learn through playful behavior, we demonstrate the capability of Dev-PSchema to simulate different infants with different preferences toward novel vs. familiar objects.

In wolves, play behaviour reflects the partners' affiliative and dominance relationship

Puppy packs (consisting of only puppies) and mixed-age packs (composed of puppies and adults) were observed to test whether social play can be used for assessing and establishing social relations in wolves, Canis lupus. Differently from previous studies, we looked at play behaviours in detail, allowing us to categorize play interactions as either competitive or relaxed, and predicted that different types of play would be associated with different relationships between individuals. We found that the more time dyads spent in relaxed play, the more affiliative interactions they exchanged outside of play. In the mixed-age packs, dyads that spent more time in both relaxed and competitive play showed fewer exchanges of aggressive behaviours. Conversely, in puppy packs, the more time dyads spent in competitive play, the more aggressive interactions were exchanged outside of play. Since clear dominance relationships emerged in the mixed-age packs, but not in puppy packs, we suggest that play can help to reduce the frequency of aggressive interactions only when a clear hierarchy exists between pack members. Furthermore, we found that in both puppy and mixed-age packs, dominance relationships were reflected and rarely reversed during play. Finally, dyads with a less clear dominance relationship spent more time playing in a competitive way. Overall, our results support the social assessment hypothesis suggesting that social relationships outside of play are reflected during playful interactions. Moreover, we revealed how different types of play, that is, playing in a competitive or relaxed way, may be related to different social relationships. This distinction between play types has not been acknowledged before but could help researchers better understand the functions of play in different species.

Influence of functional mobility and manual function on play in preschool children with cerebral palsy

IntroductionThis study analysed the differences in play performance between preschool children with cerebral palsy and those with typical development and investigated the factors influencing functional mobility and manual dexterity on play in children with cerebral palsy.MethodSixty preschool children (30 with cerebral palsy; 30 with typical development), were assessed by the revised Knox Preschool Play Scale, being that children with cerebral palsy were also classified according to their functional mobility and manual dexterity.ResultsOn average, all measures were significantly smaller in the cerebral palsy group than the typical development group (p≤ .002). Manual function and functional mobility were negatively correlated with material (r = −.456, p = .011; r = −.487, p = .006) and space (r = −.494, p = .006; r = −.784, p = .000). Also the results pointed out a significant correlation with topography and manual function (r = .404, p = .027) and functional mobility (r = .718, p = .000). Pretend play and participation showed no correlation with topography (r = −.051, p = .788; r = −.312, p = .093), manual function (r = −.019, p = .921; r = −.322, p = .083) and functional mobility (r = −.085, p = .657; r = −.308, p = .097).ConclusionPlay performance of children with typical development was superior to those with cerebral palsy. The degree of impairment of functional mobility and manual function negatively was negatively associated with play exploration but did not relate to pretend play or social interaction in play.

The Predictive Factors of Preschoolers’ Peer Play Interaction Trajectories and the Effects on First Grade Elementary Childrens’ Peer Adjustment

The Predictive Factors of Preschoolers’ Peer Play Interaction Trajectories and the Effects on First Grade Elementary Childrens’ Peer Adjustment

Symbolic play promotes non‐verbal communicative exchange in infant–caregiver dyads

Symbolic play has long been considered a fertile context for communicative development (Bruner, 1983, Child's talk: Learning to use language, Oxford University Press, Oxford; Vygotsky, 1962, Thought and language, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA; Vygotsky, 1978, Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA). In the current study, we examined caregiver-infant interaction during symbolic play and compared it to interaction in a comparable but non-symbolic context (i.e., 'functional' play). Fifty-four (N=54) caregivers and their 18-month-old infants were observed engaging in 20min of play (symbolic, functional). Play interactions were coded and compared across play conditions for joint attention (JA) and gesture use. Compared with functional play, symbolic play was characterized by greater frequency and duration of JA and greater gesture use, particularly the use of iconic gestures with an object in hand. The results suggest that symbolic play provides a rich context for the exchange and negotiation of meaning, and thus may contribute to the development of important skills underlying communicative development. Statement of contribution Current knowledge Symbolic play has long been linked to communicative development. We do not know the extent to which the social context of symbolic play fosters communicative skills. Present study We test whether key communicative acts (joint attention, gesture) are more common in infant-caregiver dyads during symbolic versus functional play. Joint attention was established more often and sustained for longer periods in symbolic play than in functional play. Infants and caregivers produced more in-hand representational gestures in symbolic compared to functional play.

Quirky kids: fathers’ stories of embracing diversity and dismantling expectations for normative play with their children with autism spectrum disorder

Anchored in critical disability studies, we used a narrative methodology to study fathers’ stories of play interactions with their children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Three narratives convey how father–child interactions unfold and how patterns of interaction respond to, redefine and resist societal norms. Narratives of action demonstrate fathers’ responses to societal norms, while narratives of adjustment depict how fathers have redefined expectations of their children in the context of play. Narratives of acceptance demonstrate fathers’ attunement to, and acceptance of, their children’s preferred play interests and a resistance to play norms. We argue that fathers’ stories represent a step towards emancipating play for children with ASD in that fathers’ appreciation of their children’s quirky play accentuates the relational and social capabilities of children, thus countering deficit interpretations of the abilities of children with autism more broadly.

Geolocating the stranger: the mapping of uncertainty as a configuration of matching and warranting techniques in dating apps

ABSTRACTGeolocation as an increasingly common technique in dating apps is often portrayed as a way of configuring uncertainty that facilitates playful interaction with unknown strangers while avoiding subjecting the user to unwanted risks. Geolocation features are used in these apps on the one hand as matching techniques that created links between the user and potential partners through geographical location, and on the other as warranting techniques that can help a user to determine whether to trust a given profile. Tracing a trajectory from Georg Simmel’s figure of the stranger as intrinsic to modern urban culture, through Stanley Milgram’s familiar stranger as an inspiration for the infrastructure of social networking sites, to a consideration of the double perspective of overview and embedment inherent in geolocation’s ability to map, we identify the stalker as an emblematic figure that appears not as a threatening Other, but rather as our own doubling.

Transactional Analysis and the Ludic Third (TALT): A Model of Functionally Fluent Reflective Play Practice

This article presents a new theoretical model of the play interaction between children and playworkers: transactional analysis and the ludic third (TALT). The importance of reflective professional practice as a key aspect of the TALT model is emphasized. The transactional analysis concepts of the integrating Adult ego state and functional fluency are presented to show how they are put to use both in reflective practice and for underpinning the vital concept of the witness position aspect of the play process. The values of knowledgeable, sensitive, and above all active responsiveness from the witness position are explained with short case studies. This active role is discussed with regard to the concepts of potential space and the ludic third. The authors suggest that TALT has implications for all professionals who work with children in a play context. They also consider the potential for children to develop reflective skills as they play.

Establishing validity among pre-school children

Abstract This paper lays out theoretical considerations and first analyses on the giving of and asking for reasons among preschool children age 3–7 in natural child-child play interaction. We attempt to give an integrated, multimodal analysis of the verbal, paraverbal and extraverbal means of these reasoning activities. In our data we find many instances of younger children who are giving reasons during play interaction. Often these reasoning activities do not occur in an open conflict and are not primarily directed at working out a local dissensus. Rather, these interactions seem to foreground the epistemic function of argumentation. We will argue that these practices should be understood and researched as early forms of argumentation.

Enhancing peer interaction during guided play in Finnish integrated special groups

ABSTRACTThis article focused on the pedagogy that enhances peer interaction in integrated special groups. In Finland, most children identified as having special educational needs (SEN) attend day-care in mainstream kindergarten groups; the rest are in integrated or segregated early childhood special education (ECSE) groups in public day-care centres [National Institute of Health and Welfare. 2013. “Child Day Care 2013 – Municipal Survey.” Accessed March 15, 2016. https://www.julkari.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/116231/Tr16_14.pdf?sequence=4]. An integrated group, which typically consists of seven children without and five with SEN, is supposed to be an inclusive environment that provides an atmosphere in which every child can feel togetherness and be scaffolded [Pihlaja, P. 2009. “Erityisen tuen käytännöt varhaiskasvatuksessa – näkökulmana inkluusio.” [The Special Education Practices in Early Childhood Education – Inclusion as Viewpoint.] Kasvatus 2: 146–156]. Our aim was to examine how ECSE professionals’ pedagogical practices were used to enhance peer interaction in interactive play. We analysed 14 videotaped sessions of guided play and conceptualized the studied phenomenon by portraying five guidance types in which the identified pedagogical practices were used in different ways.

Prenatal exposure to tobacco and cannabis: Effects on autonomic and emotion regulation

Tobacco and cannabis are often used together in pregnancy and both have effects on children's regulatory system. Yet, little is known about the impact of co-use on the development of emotion regulation at the developmentally salient age of 2 years. One pathway linking co-exposure to tobacco and cannabis to toddler regulation may be via poor autonomic regulation in infancy. In addition, substance using mothers may be more dysregulated themselves, which may have direct effects on toddler regulation, but may also affect parenting, particularly maternal sensitivity during mother-child interactions. Thus, a second pathway linking exposure to toddler regulation may be via maternal dysregulation and low maternal sensitivity. We examined a conceptual model linking prenatal exposure to toddler regulation via these two pathways in a prospective sample (N = 247) of mother-child dyads recruited in the first trimester of pregnancy. Results indicated significant effects of co-exposure on poor autonomic regulation in infancy, which in turn predicted poor toddler emotion regulation. Mothers who used both tobacco and cannabis displayed lower sensitivity during play interactions with their infants. Maternal sensitivity was modestly stable from infant to toddler period and was predictive of higher toddler emotion regulation. Continued postnatal exposure to tobacco was also a significant, unique predictor of lower toddler emotion regulation. Results highlight the importance of examining co-exposure effects and suggest that this common pattern of use may be associated with higher infant/toddler risks.

Learning from Blackpool Promenade: Re-enchanting sterile streets

In this article, the authors contend that contemporary urban streets are over-regulated, preoccupied with surveillance, commercial requirements and rapid transit, aesthetically homogeneous and sensually sterile. As an exemplary site of contrast, the article focuses on the recently redesigned Blackpool Promenade. First, it argues that this redesign honours the resort’s popular traditions, its potent heritage and the importance of innovation. Second, it explores how the promenade fosters playful interactions, conviviality and lingering. Third, the article focuses on sensory attributes that enhance the experience of promenaders.