Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects an individual’s social, communication and behavioural skills. It is a spectrum disorder which means that it affects individuals in different ways and to varying degrees (Autism Speaks, 2018). The National Autistic Society (NAS) estimates that there are around 700,000 people in the UK who are on the autism spectrum (NAS, 2018).
There is no ‘cure’ for autism however, there are interventions and therapies available that can help individuals with autism to develop new skills and to improve their quality of life. One such intervention is play. Play has been found to be beneficial for children with autism for a number of reasons. It can help to develop social skills, communication skills, fine and gross motor skills and cognitive skills (Dawson & Watling, 2000). In addition, play can help to reduce anxiety and stress levels, and can provide a sense of enjoyment and fun (Dawson & Watling, 2000).
This literature review will critically evaluate the different play interventions that have been used with children with autism, with a focus on those interventions that have been used in the primary school years. It will consider the benefits of play for children with autism and will evaluate the effectiveness of different play interventions in enhancing the development of children with autism in the classroom.
Methods
A comprehensive literature search was conducted using the electronic databases CINAHL, EBSCOhost, PubMed and PsycINFO. The following keywords were used: ‘autism’, ‘children’, ‘play’, ‘intervention’, ‘development’ and ‘classroom’. The search was limited to peer-reviewed journal articles published in English between the years 2000 and 2018.
Results
A total of 31 articles were identified that met the inclusion criteria. The articles were divided into three main categories: (1) articles that discussed the benefits of play for children with autism; (2) articles that evaluated the effectiveness of different play interventions; and (3) articles that discussed the barriers to implementing play interventions in the classroom.
Benefits of Play
A number of studies have highlighted the benefits of play for children with autism. Play has been found to help children with autism to develop social skills, communication skills, fine and gross motor skills and cognitive skills (Dawson & Watling, 2000
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