Play Assessments and Developmental Skills in Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Appropriate play behaviors facilitate language skills, increase cognitive skills, and provide opportunity for social interaction. However, play skills often present differently in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Currently, there are several global standardized ASD measures used during diagnostic evaluations that include, but are not limited to, assessment of play. However, it is unclear whether these measures examine similar aspects of play. This uncertainty is important to explore to better understand the whole profile of children’s play competencies to implement developmentally appropriate interventions and create fitting goals. The current study explored the relations of children’s play measured by clinicians’ observations (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule [ADOS], Childhood Autism Rating Scale–Second Edition [CARS2-ST]) and parents’ reports (Adaptive Behavior Assessment System–Second Edition [ABAS-II], Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile–Infant/Toddler Checklist [CSBS DP-ITC]). Participants (n = 34) were toddlers and preschool-aged children with ASD. A play composite was created for each aforementioned measure, which included extracted items that specifically examined play skills. Initial results suggested minimal similarities in play composites across measures. Play composites were also compared with children’s developmental skills (Mullen Scales of Early Learning [MSEL]) to explore the reciprocal relationship between play/developmental skills. Results revealed that expressive and receptive language skills, fine motor skills, and visual reception skills (from MSEL) were significantly correlated with specific play composites. This study’s innovative identification of play composites from standardized ASD diagnostic measures highlights the importance of (a) using multiple methodologies to gain a whole profile of children’s play/developmental skills, and (b) selecting interventions matched on children’s current play/developmental skills.