Exploring the Free Play Patterns of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Pilot Study

Free play opens up a natural and potentially powerful window for the assessment and treatment of children with autism spectrum disorders. The current study employed a cross sectional study design to investigate the nature of play behaviours in 12 children with autism spectrum disorders between the age ranges of 2-5 years. Play behaviour were video recorded in a clinical environment for duration of 10 minutes. The play behaviours were analysed using ELAN software. The particular play behaviours observed were coded by three speech language pathologists. Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference between play behaviours. The results suggested the preponderance of sensorimotor play along with deficits and or delay in other advanced play namely functional play in children with autism spectrum disorder. Keywords: autism spectrum disorders, free play, sensorimotor play, functional play, symbolic play, ELAN, video analysis