Play Participation of Two to Three Year Olds With and Without Autism: A Mixed Methods Study
Melissa Best, Andrea Brown, Heather Engel, Nicole Hudson
Faculty Mentor: Sarah Fabrizi PhD, OTR/L
Methods
Abstract
•  OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to explore caregiver perspec2ves of play par2cipa2on in children with and without au2sm between the ages of two and three. •  METHOD: a mixed methods study was used to explore play par2cipa2on from the perspec2ve of 15 caregivers. Phenomenology was u2lized to code interviews and develop themes and quan2ta2ve data was collected by use of the Assessment of Preschool Children’s Par2cipa2on (APCP). •  RESULTS: Six themes emerged from caregiver interviews. No sta2s2cally significant difference was found in APCP score of play par2cipa2on between children with and without au2sm. Mixed Methods Qualita/ve-­‐ Phenomenology Interviews 1. Tell me about your child. •  PEOP Model •  Eco-­‐Cultural Model •  The Dynamic Systems Model Participants
5)Caregivers;)4)Female,)1)
Male))
10)Caregivers;)7)Female,)1)
Male))
5)Children;)5)Males))
10)Children;)8)Males,)2)
Females))
Age)Range:)30G43)months))
Age)Range:)24G46)months))
)
Caregiver Income of Child with Au2sm Ac/vity Types 2. Tell me about play/me with your child. 3. Where does your child typically play? 4. What do you find to be successful and/
or challenging about play/me with your child? 1. Play Ac/vi/es 2. Skill Development 3. Ac/ve Physical 4. Social Ac/vi/es Caregiver Income of Typically Developing Child Open, Axial, and Selec/ve Coding Qualita/ve Results: Discussion
The preliminary results from this research study in progress have the following implica2ons for occupa2onal therapy prac2ce: •  The Assessment of Preschool Child’s Par2cipa2on is one tool that can be used for caregivers to describe their child’s play par2cipa2on. •  There are many similari2es in play par2cipa2on between 2 and 3 year olds with and without au2sm. Occupa2onal therapy prac22oners may use these similari2es as strengths in the play par2cipa2on of the young child with au2sm. •  Caregivers’ experience of play par2cipa2on centers around six major themes: 1. Caregiver involvement 2. Challenges in play 3. Characteris2cs of the child in play 4. Place, space and 2me of day for play 5. Playing with others, 6. Ways to play •  Caregivers of children with au2sm value play for a purpose, specifically for learning. These caregivers also describe aspects of themselves and their rela2onship with their child. •  Caregivers of typically developing children most frequently discussed play for learning and caregiver guidance. •  When describing their child in play, caregivers of children with au2sm focused more on performance skills, whereas caregivers of typically developing children discussed temperament. •  Both caregivers of children with au2sm and typically developing children frequently discussed outdoor places to play and both men2oned that 2me of day was a significant factor in play par2cipa2on. 1. 
2. 
3. 
$30,000 to $59,999 Less than $29,999 $30,000 to $59,999 $60,000 to $99,999 $100,000 or more $60,000 to $99,999 $100,000 or more Independent t-­‐test comparing differences Results
References
Less than $29,999 SPSS-­‐22 Data Analysis 4. 
Sualy, A., Yount, S., Kelly-­‐Vance, L., & Ryalls, B. (2011). Using a play interven2on to improve the play skills of children with a language delay. Interna2onal Journal of Psychology: A Biopsychosocial Approach, 9, 105-­‐122. Occupa2onal Therapy Prac2ce Framework: Domain and Process 3rd. Ed. (2014). American Journal of Occupa1onal Therapy 68, S1-­‐S48. doi:10.5014/ajot.2014.682006 Liner, K., Mason, E. J., & Barton, E. E. (2011). Childrens’ play: Where we have been and where we could go. Journal of Early Interven1on, 33, 281-­‐297. Daunhauer, L. A., Coster, W. J., Tickle-­‐Degnen, L., & Cermak, S. A. (2007). Effects of caregiver–child interac2ons on play occupa2ons among young children ins2tu2onalized in Eastern Europe. American Journal of Occupa1onal Therapy, 61, 429–440. •  Caregivers of children with au2sm spoke more about Caregiver Involvement and Challenges in Play compared to caregivers of typically developing children. •  Both groups spoke most frequently about Play for a Purpose, specifically play for learning. •  Caregivers of children with au2sm spoke more 2me about Challenges in Play than caregivers of typically developing children. •  Caregivers of children with au2sm talked more about child skills rather than temperament; Caregivers of typically developing children talked more about temperament rather than child skills. •  Caregivers of typically developing children talked more (99 2mes) about Place, Space, and Time of Day for Play when compared to caregivers of children with au2sm (58 2mes). Both groups talked about Outdoor Play Places most frequently. •  Caregivers of typically developing children talked more frequently about Playing with Others and Sharing. •  Both groups talked most frequently about Object Play in Ways to Play. The second most frequent Way to Play was Physical Play in both groups. Children with Au/sm Typically Developing Children 1.  Caregiver Involvement (84) 1.  Place, Space, and Time of Day (99) 2.  Ways to Play (65) 2.  Ways to Play (94) 3.  Place, Space, and Time of Day (58) 3.  Playing with Others (75) 4.  Characteris2cs of Child in Play (40) 4.  Caregiver Involvement (68) 5.  Playing with Others (33) 5.  Characteris2cs of Child in Play (44) 6.  Challenges in Play (22) 6.  Challenges in Play (16) Mean Scores of Ac2vity Types Assessment of Preschool Children's Par2cipa2on 10 Quan/ta/ve Results: 9 Based upon the independent 8 samples t test, researchers 7 accepted the null hypothesis. 6 Data analysis concluded that 5 t h e r e w a s n o s t a 2 s 2 c a l 4 significance in caregiver reports 3 of play par2cipa2on between 2 children with au2sm and 1 typically developing children, t (22)= -­‐1.032, p= .313. 0 Play Ac2vity Scores Theory
Typically)Developing)
Children))
Data Collec/on NVIVO Play is the main occupa2on in childhood. Par2cipa2ng in play facilitates the learning, conceptualizing, and socializing process in the development in children1. The Occupa2onal Therapy Prac2ce Framework defines play par2cipa2on as, ““par2cipa2ng in play; maintaining a balance of play with other area of occupa2on; and obtaining, using, and maintaining toys, equipment, and supplies appropriately”2. Children with disabili2es have shown delays in play compared to their typically developing peers3. However, there is a lack of research about play par2cipa2on in children with Au2sm Spectrum Disorder specifically. Together caregivers and occupa2onal therapists can help facilitate play par2cipa2on; the involvement of caregivers during play has been shown to increase par2cipa2on of the child4. The caregiver’s perspec2ves on play provide insight into play par2cipa2on in children with Au2sm Spectrum Disorder. Assessment of Preschool Children’s Par/cipa/on (APCP) Open-­‐Ended Ques/ons Background
Children)with)Autism))
Quan/ta/ve 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ac2vity Type Caregivers of Children with Au2sm 8 9 10 11 12 Caregivers of Typically Developing Children