Patterns of Play in Young Children Developing With Delays

Abstract

This paper examined object play in a new cross-sectional sample of 203 children developing with delays using a highly differentiated set of play categories to provide more detailed descriptions of these developments. Thirty-minute videotaped observations of children playing with a caregiver in their homes were taken at 8, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 54, and 60 months of age. Participants included children with: autism ( n = 38); Down syndrome ( n = 27); language delays ( n = 55); delays in one or more other domains ( n = 76); and children born prematurely ( n = 7). Play activities were coded into 21 qualitatively different categories and analyzed in terms of frequency of activities and variety of examples expressed within categories. These children’s play activities were compared to a sample of 289 typically developing (TD) children, observed contemporaneously at the same age points. The groups were comparable in frequency. The children with delays expressed the same play categories as the TD children, but expressed more complex categories at later age points with less variety. Particular difficulties were identified for children with autism and children with Down syndrome. Implications for assessment and intervention center on evaluation using differentiated play categories, determining variety within them, and setting goals based on a developmental model.

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