Play Skills

Sarah Wilkes-Gillan*, Yu-Wei Ryan Chen, Reinie Cordier

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

Play is well understood to be an important aspect of child development and a means of socialisation and learning for children. However, play is a complex behaviour and delays in the development of play often occur. This chapter describes the importance of play in childhood and outlines definitions and theories of play. Six childhood conditions where there are substantial delays in the development of play skills were then explored. Ten different types of play assessments were summarised, including the reliability and validity of these assessments. Finally, the recent evidence base of play-based interventions was identified through four systematic reviews published between 2018 and 2021, which collectively contained 423 intervention studies. Future directions for research were also recommended.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationHandbook of Clinical Child Psychology
Subtitle of host publicationIntegrating Theory and Research into Practice
EditorsJohnny L. Matson
Place of PublicationCham, Switzerland
PublisherSpringer
Chapter41
Pages881-902
Number of pages22
Edition1st
ISBN (Electronic)9783031249266
ISBN (Print)9783031249259, 9783031249280
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 11 Jun 2023

Publication series

NameAutism and Child Psychopathology Series
PublisherSpringer
ISSN (Print)2192-922X
ISSN (Electronic)2192-9238

Keywords

  • Autism spectrum disorder
  • ADHD
  • Play-based interventions
  • Play theory
  • Play assessments
  • Social play skills

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