Play and Family Flashcards
What is Play?
- Primary occupation of children
- For development/refinement of skills (motor, social-emotional, language, cognitive)
- For problem solving, communication, understanding nonverbal comm., and socialization
Aspects of play
- Pleasurable
- Self-initiated/controlled by child
- Intrinsic motivation: drive to action that is rewarded by the activity itself
- Internal control: child in control of actions and to some degree the outcome
- Freedom to suspend reality (make believe, pretend, joking, mischief)
Nature of play/playfulness
- Flexible
- Spontaneous
- Process more important than outcome
- Done for its own sake
- No right/wrong way to play
- Safe outlet
Play with Disabilities
- Normal sequence often delayed
- Often passive observers (lack interest/initiation)
- Often require intervention to engage and stimulate growth/development
Play intervention strategies for disabilities
- Change environment
- Improve specific play skills
- Teach social interaction
Play Environment
• Engaging in play depends on feeling safe, confident and interested
• Environment may restrict play:
- School restricts recess time
- Parents afraid to let children explore/play
- Playground doesn’t lend itself to imaginative play
What can play be a tool for?
- Increasing strength
- Improving motor planning and problem solving
- Improving grasping/handwriting
What goals can be included in play?
- Spontaneously initiating play
* Social Skills
Play assessments (list)
- Test of Playfulness (ToP)
- Knox Preschool Play Scale (PPS)
- Transdisciplinary Play-Based Assessment (TPBA)
Importance of playground time/recess
- Providing unstructured outside time
- Developing social, emotional, physical and cognitive skills
- Taking a break from rigidity and recoup energy
- Physical activity to strengthen bones and muscles, control weight, decrease diabetes/cancers
7 Principles of Design for Inclusive Play Spaces
1) Equitable use
2) Flexibility of use
3) Simple and intuitive use
4) Perceptible information
5) Tolerance of error
6) Low physical effort
7) Size and space for approach and use
Ways to improve playfulness
- Set up playful environment
- Change themes for seasons, events
- Keep space child friendly
- Add music
- Add element of pretend
- Create “just-right” challenge
- Use adapted toys
- Limit directions to games/activities
- Allow play in variety of positions
- Allow child to make changes to the activity
Sample objectives to OT play interventions
- Initiate new activity during play
- Enter into play in progress without disruption
- Stay in play theme for a given time
- Use an object in unconventional way
- Share toys with another child
Family-Centered Care
- Philosophy that permeates all interactions betw family/healthcare practitioners
- Mandated by 1990 IDEA
- Family is the constant in the child’s life
- Family is defined by person at center of care (child); could be casa, guardian, etc.
- Collaboration/partnership
- Parents/caregivers are decision-makers
- Honoring diversity (cultural acceptance)
Factors Influencing Families (especially those of child with special needs)
- SES (supplemental educational services)
- Level of parental education
- Quality/availability of medical facilities
- Parent training/family support
- Each family is different; response to crisis based on their definitions/resources
- Parents may have trauma; child may disrupt family system
