ASHA CEU COURSE #488 Expand Play Skills: The NEW Autism Podcast Series

In this episode of The NEW Autism Podcast Series, pediatric speech-language pathologist Laura Mize, M.S., CCC-SLP from teachmetotalk.com dives into Focus Area 4: Expand Play Skills for autistic toddlers and preschoolers. Play is one of the primary ways young children learn. Through play, children develop attention, problem-solving, memory, imitation, and symbolic thinking…all cognitive skills that support language development. But many autistic toddlers and preschoolers spend much longer exploring toys or develop preferred ways of playing that may look different from what we expect. In this episode, Laura explains how to determine a child’s current developmental stage of play and then build from that point…rather than jumping ahead to pretend play or choosing toys based on a child’s chronological age.

You’ll learn how to:

• Understand the developmental progression from exploratory and nonfunctional play to functional play, symbolic play, expanded play routines, and early role play
• Recognize why sensory exploration is an important stage of development and not something to rush through
• Identify early cognitive skills that develop through play including object permanence, cause and effect, and simple problem-solving
• Use Tell, Show, and Help to introduce new play actions while gradually reducing support
• Use deconstruction to help a child learn how toys work by starting at the end and taking them apart first
• Expand functional play by teaching many different purposeful ways to use familiar toys
• Build from a child’s favorite movements, toys, characters, and interests instead of trying to replace them
• Introduce pretend play using Laura’s simple four-step progression
• Know when to make an activity easier, back up to an earlier stage, or try a different approach
• Use connection, curiosity, and shared enjoyment to help a child become more comfortable trying something new

The goal is not to make an autistic child play in one “right” way. It’s to meet the child where he is, build from his strengths, and gradually expand the ways he interacts with toys, objects, and other people.

Who This is For?

This episode is designed for speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, developmental therapists, early intervention professionals, educators, and parents who want practical, strengths-based ways to support autistic toddlers and preschoolers.