Play is FUN and Teaches New Skills

The Play Project was created by Dr. Richard Solomon to help teach parents how to develop playful and joyful relationships with their children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) through play. The Play Project trains professionals (e.g., speech-language pathologists, developmental therapists,  occupational therapists, physical therapists) on teaching parents how to play with their neurodivergent child to build attention, communication, social relationships, and more. In this evidence-based model, the therapist is the coach and the parent is the provider (i.e., the adult directly working with the child). By building foundational skills (regulation, social-emotional reciprocity, back-and-forth communication, relationships, imagination) through child-centered play, children will be better available for other interventions (speech-therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, behavioral therapy, developmental therapy, academics) when they are older. The Play Project is based on typical development and meeting the child where they are and using what they love to do. As Dr. Solomon says “If you do what the child loves, then the child will love to be with you”.

By: Alyssa Amidei, M.S., CCC-SLP/L
Therapists at Pediatric Interactions are trained in The PLAY Project by Dr. Richard Solomon