Make Play R.O.C.K.™ Booklet Series

If you have a young autistic child, you may be wondering what you can do to expand their play skills. You may want to help them play more flexibly or with more creativity, or you may want to see them play with others more often. 

The Make Play R.O.C.K.™ booklet series gives you practical, research-based strategies for expanding your child’s play skills during everyday play activities. You’ll learn powerful ways to get involved in your child’s play and help them learn while having fun together. After all, fun is what play is all about!

 

 

Why is Play So Important?

Your child learns something from every play experience. When they pick up a toy train and spin its wheels, they learn that they can make things happen. When they hear you say, “That train’s wheels go round and round”, they discover that objects and actions have names. And when they hold a toy stethoscope to their sibling’s chest, pretending to be a doctor, they have a chance to experience what it feels like to be someone else.

Play skills are linked to the development of a variety of other abilities, including social skills, vocabulary, language skills, and even how to solve problems. When you help your child learn to play, you increase their opportunities to learn about themself and the world around them, and you help them discover how much fun it is to play and interact with other people.

 

Does Your Child Have Difficulty with Play?

Think about how your child plays now and answer these questions:

  • Does your child look like they're having fun when they play (do they laugh and smile)?
  • Does your child look at you or talk to you when they play with a toy?
  • Does your child copy what you do with toys?
  • Does your child play with a variety of toys?
  • Does your child play in different ways with the same toy (for example, build a tower with their blocks and pretend a block is a ball or a car)?
  • Does your child like to play with other children?

If you answered “no” to any of these questions, your child might be missing out on important learning opportunities. Click on the booklets in the Make Play R.O.C.K. series below to find out more about how they can help:

 

Plan for People Play

Building Early Social Communication Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Social Communication Difficulties

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Take Out the Toys

Building Early Toy Play for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Social Communication Difficulties

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Put Pretending into Your Child's Play

Building Pretend Play for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Social Communication Difficulties

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