Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Taking a Closer Look at Functional Play in Children with Autism

  • Published:
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Research evidence indicates that children with autism may experience problems with functional play, in addition to their well-documented deficits in symbolic play. However, as a result of the tendency of previous studies to group all functional play into a single category, the precise nature and extent of this deficit remains unclear. The present study undertook a more refined analysis of such play, subtyping the functional acts into various categories, in terms of the developmental progression suggested by research with typical infants. The functional play of children with autism was compared to that of developmentally matched children with Down syndrome and typical infants. Although there were no group differences in overall measures of the proportion of total play time spent in functional play and in the number of functional acts performed, a closer analysis of the composition of this play did reveal striking, qualitative differences. The functional play of the autism group was less elaborated, less varied, and less integrated than that of the controls. The implications of these findings are explored in relation to current theoretical models of autism and in relation to the role of other people in mediating the appropriate use of objects.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  • Abrahamsen, E. P., & Mitchell, J. R. (1990). Communication and sensorimotor functioning in children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2075-85.

    Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders(4th ed.). Washington DC.: Author.

    Google Scholar 

  • Atlas, J. A. (1990) Play in assessment and intervention in childhood psychoses. Child Psychiatry in Human Development, 21119-133.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baron-Cohen, S. (1995). Mindblindness: An essay on autism and theory of mind.Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baron-Cohen, S. (1987). Autism and symbolic play. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 5139-148.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baron-Cohen, S., Leslie, A. M. & Frith, U. (1985). Does the autistic child have a ‘Theory of mind’? Cognition, 2137-46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bayley, N. (1993). Bayley Scales of Infant Development(2nd ed.). San Antonio, TX: Harcourt Brace.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beeghly, M. (1998). Emergence of symbolic play: perspectives from typical and atypical development. In J. A. Burack, R. M. Hodapp, & E. Zigler (Eds.), Handbook of mental retardation and development(pp. 240-289). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Belsky, J., & Most, R. K. (1981). From exploration to play: A cross-sectional study of infant free play behaviour. Developmental Psychology, 17630-639.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J. (1960). A coefficient of agreement for nominal scales. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 2037-46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dawson, G., & Adams, A. (1984). Imitation and social responsiveness in autistic children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 12209-225.

    Google Scholar 

  • El'Konin. (1966). Symbolics and its function in the play of children. Soviet Education, 8139-148.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fein, G. G., & Apfel, N. (1979). The development of play: Style structure and situations. Genetic Psychology Monographs, 99231-250.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fenson, L., Dale, P. S., Reznick, J. S., Thal, D., Bates, E., Hartung, J. P., Pethick, S., & Reilly, J. S. (1993). MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories.San Diego, CA: Singular.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fenson, L., Kagan, L., Kearsley, R. B., & Zelazo, P. R. (1976). The developmental progression of manipulative play in the first 2 years. Child Development, 47232-236.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fenson, L., & Ramsay, D. S. (1980). Decentration and integration of the child's play in the second year. Child Development, 51171-178.

    Google Scholar 

  • Field, A. (2000). Discovering statistics using SPSS for Windows.London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gould, J. (1986) The Lowe and Costello symbolic play test in socially impaired children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 16199-213.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, P. L. (1993). Pretending and planning. In S. Baron-Cohen, H. Tager-Flusberg, D. Cohen, & F. Volkmar (Eds.), Understanding other minds: Perspectives from autism.Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jarrold, C. (1997). Pretend play in autism: executive explanations. In J. Russell (Ed.), Autism as an executive disorder.Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jarrold, C., Boucher, J., & Smith, P. (1993). Symbolic play in children with autism: A review. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 23281-309.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jarrold, C., Boucher, J., & Smith, P. (1994). Executive function deficits and the pretend play of children with autism. A research note. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 351473-1482.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jarrold, C., Boucher, J., & Smith, P. (1996). Generativity deficits in pretend play in autism. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 14275-300.

    Google Scholar 

  • Landry, S. H., & Loveland, K. A. (1988). Communication behaviours in autism and developmental language delay. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 29621-634.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leontiev, A. N. (1981). Problems of the development of mind.Moscow: Progress Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leslie, A. (1987) Pretence and representation in infancy: Origins of "theory of mind." Psychological Review, 9484-106.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, V., & Boucher, J. (1988). Spontaneous, instructed and elicited play in relatively able autistic children. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 6325-338.

    Google Scholar 

  • Libby, S., Powell, S., Messer, D., & Jordan, R. (1998). Spontaneous pretend play in children with autism: A reappraisal. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 28487-497.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lord, C. (1985). Autism and the comprehension of language. In E. Shopler & G. B. Mesibov (Eds.), Communication problems in autism(pp. 257-281). New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loveland, K. A. (1991). Social affordances and interaction II: Autism and the affordances of the human environment. Ecological Psychology, 399-119.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loveland, K. A., & Landry, S. H. (1986). Joint attention and language in autism and developmental language delay. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 16335-349.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marino, B. L. (1988). Assessment of infant play: Applications to research and practice. Issues in Comprehensive Paediatric Nursing, 11227-240.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCune-Nicolich, L., & Fenson, L. (1984). Methodological issues in studying early pretend play. In T. D. Yawkey & A. D. Pellegrini (Eds.), Child's play: Developmental and applied issues.Hillsdale, N. J. LEA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mundy, P., Sigman, M., & Kasari, C. (1990). A longitudinal study of joint attention and language development in autistic children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 20115-128.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mundy, P., Sigman, M., Ungerer, J., & Sherman, T. (1986). Defining the social deficits of autism: The contribution of non-verbal communication measures. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 27657-669.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mundy, P., Sigman, M., Ungerer, J., & Sherman, T. (1987). Nonverbal communication and play correlates of language development in autistic children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 17349-364.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nicolich, L. (1977). Beyond sensorimotor intelligence. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 2389-99.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piaget, J. (1962). Play, dreams and imitation in childhood.London: Routledge & Kegan-Paul.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riguet, C. B., Taylor, N. D., Benaroya, S., & Klein, L. S. (1981). Symbolic play in autistic, Down, and normal children of equivalent mental age. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 11439-448.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rocissano, L. (1982). The emergence of social conventional behaviour: evidence from early object play. Social Cognition, 150-69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Russell, J., Mauthner, N., Sharpe, S., & Tidswell, T. (1991). The "windows task" as a measure of strategic deception and preschoolers and autistic subjects, British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 9331-349.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sigman, M., Kasari, C., Kwon, J., & Yirmiya, N. (1992) Responses to the negative emotions of others by autistic, mentally retarded, and normal children. Child Development, 63796-807.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sigman, M., & Ungerer, J. A. (1984). Cognitive and language skills in autistic, mentally retarded and normal children. Developmental Psychology, 20293-302.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, I. M., & Bryson, S. E. (1994). Imitation and action in autism. Psychological Bulletin, 116259-273.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sparrow, S. S., Balla, D. A., & Cicchetti, D. V. (1984). Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Interview edition.Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ungerer, J. A., & Sigman, M. (1981). Symbolic play and language comprehension in autistic children. Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 20318-337.

    Google Scholar 

  • Valsiner, J. (1987). Culture and the development of children's action: a cultural historical theory.Chichester, UK: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Volkmar, F. R., & Cohen, D. J. (1985). Infantile autism: A first-person account by Tony W. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 1547-54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vondra, J., & Belsky, J. (1989). Infant play at one year: Characteristics and early antecedents. In J. J. Lockman & N. L. Hazen (Eds.), Action in social context(pp. 173-206). New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vondra, J., & Belsky, J. (1991). Infant play as a window on competence and motivation. In C. E. Schaefer, K. Gitlin, & A. Sandgrund (Eds.), Play. Diagnosis & assessment.Toronto, Canada: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society. The development of higher psychological processes.Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Werner, H., & Kaplan, K. (1963). Symbol formation. An organismic-developmental approach to language and the expression of thought. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whyte, J., & Owens, A. (1989). Language and symbolic play: some findings from a study of autistic children, Irish Journal of Psychology, 10317-332.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, E., Costall, A., & Reddy, V. (1999). Children with autism experience problems with both objects and people. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 29367-378.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wing, L., Gould, J., Yeates S. R., & Brierley, L. M. (1977). Symbolic play in severely mentally retarded and in autistic children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 18167-178.

    Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization. (1990). International Classification of Diseases (10th ed). Diagnostic criteria for research(draft). Geneva: Author.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, PO1 2DY, United Kingdom

    Emma Williams, Vasudevi Reddy & Alan Costall

Authors
  1. Emma Williams
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Vasudevi Reddy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Alan Costall
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Williams, E., Reddy, V. & Costall, A. Taking a Closer Look at Functional Play in Children with Autism. J Autism Dev Disord 31, 67–77 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005665714197

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005665714197

Search

Navigation