Pretend play emerges anytime from 11 months to 18 months of age in typically developing children, which later turns into other types of play around 10 years of age. However, developing pretend play skills can be very challenging for children with autism spectrum disorder. For this reason, with toddlers with autism spectrum disorder, it is important to incorporate pretend play into therapy sessions. In pretend play, children are playing with an object as if the object is alive. For instance, if the child plays with dolls, the child thinks the dolls can talk to them.

Pretend play has many different names

·       Creative play

·       Fantasy play

·       Imaginative play

·       Make-believe play

Evidence-Based Practice

According to the research done by Connolly et al., children’s social interactions were “more enjoyable, lasted longer, involved larger groups, and showed more play involvement and greater reciprocity” during pretend play (1988). Connolly et al. also stated that “Social pretend play appears to provide a contextual framework within which mature social interaction can occur and social competencies may be acquired” (1988).

Examples of Pretend Play

·       Playing ‘mummies and daddies’

·       Playing “kitchen’

·       Tea parties

·       Playing with dolls

·       Playing trucks

Pretend Play Song Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSi9EeQhpLw

Example Goals

 In 6 months, __________ will imitate 3 functional actions by watching the play partner, then imitating the play action within 5 seconds of the presentation with no more than 1 gestural prompting,  with 80% accuracy, across 3 observable sessions, measured by an SLP.

In 6 months, __________ will independently engage in symbolic play when the item is presented  with 80% accuracy, across 3 observable sessions, measured by an SLP.

Cueing: Hierarchy of Prompting can be used depending on the child’s needs on cueing.

Prompting is an effective EBP that maximizes the individual’s success and increases the client’s generalized use of target skills.

Hayes D. (2013). The use of prompting as an evidence-based strategy to support children with ASD in

school settings in New Zealand. Kairaranga,14(2), https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1025644.pdf

Data Collection Tool: 

References:

Connolly, J. A., Doyle, A. B., & Reznick, E. (1988). Social pretend play and social interaction in preschoolers. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 9(3), 301–313. https://doi.org/10.1016/0193-3973(88)90032-9

Free Data Sheets round-up. Speechy Musings. (2021, October 28). Retrieved December 16, 2022, from https://speechymusings.com/2016/12/09/free-data-sheets-round-up/

Hayes D. (2013). The use of prompting as an evidence-based strategy to support children with ASD in school settings in New Zealand. Kairaranga,14(2), https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1025644.pdf

LessonPix. (n.d.). Retrieved December 16, 2022, from https://lessonpix.com/materials/7282515/Prompt+Hierarchy

Rachelle. (2022, February 15). 12 doll house games and ideas. TinkerLab. Retrieved December 18, 2022, from https://tinkerlab.com/doll_house_games/