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  • There are well-documented play deficits in autism beginning with infant object and social play. To create effective interventions, the predictors of play deficits in autism must be established. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently report sensory processing difficulties including poor praxis; however, these are potential predictors of play that have not been well studied. Using a data set of 162 individuals with ASD, this study examined the direct and indirect relationships between sensory processing and social play performance via structural equation modeling. The best fitting model suggested that sensory system functions predict praxis and play in combination, providing preliminary evidence that sensory functions are related to social play in combination with praxis in children with ASD. The findings suggest future avenues for research.

  • Over a decade ago, researchers surveyed pediatric occupational therapists regarding their use of play and concluded that play was addressed inconsistently in the evaluation and treatment of preschool-age clients. Play was primarily used as a modality to achieve a desired performance in another skill area. In the intervening years, a significant body of literature has been published in occupational therapy promoting the use of play as a meaningful outcome of occupational therapy intervention; therefore, practice patterns may have changed. Five hundred pediatric occupational therapists were randomly selected from members of the school system and sensory integration special interest sections of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) to be surveyed regarding their current usage of play with children ages 3 to 7 years. They received a mailed survey, adapted from the original work of Couch, Dietz, and Kanny with the permission of the primary author. There were 198 surveys returned (40%). Similar to earlier findings, play was used primarily as a means of eliciting improvement in another area, such as fine-motor skill. Although some therapists assessed play, few focused on play as an outcome of importance, or included goals for play. Minimal changes have occurred in the role of play in pediatric occupational therapy. Despite the profession's promotion of our role in play and the suggestion that play is one of the most important occupations of childhood, practitioners continue to report a limited focus on play as an occupation.

Last update from database: 3/13/26, 4:15 PM (UTC)

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