Limited Play Skills

Limited Play Skills?
Try Deconstruction
Today let's continue our discussion about play skills and address a common
misconception I've seen in kids with language delays.
When a child doesn't know how to play with a toy, a parent assumes "He must
not like it."
That may be true sometimes, but most of the time we should assume that it
means that he doesn't know HOW to play.
That's shocking to some parents of late talkers, but it's true!
When children don't know how to play, we have to teach them - just like we
teach everything else.
So... psych yourself up, get down on the floor, and play with the toy
yourself.
That's what it's going to take for many late talkers before they understand how
a toy works.
This takes some effort, but it does pay off!
One of the things I do first with toddlers who don't play with toys is start with
a strategy I call deconstruction. To summarize, you're teaching a child to
finish a play routine or take a toy apart rather than putting it together. Once
you learn how to do this, you'll never look at introducing a toy in the same
way again.
Here's some more information about introducing deconstruction: a written

version and a longer explanation and demo from this podcast below.
Teaching Through Deconstruction
If a child can’t play with a toy yet, teach him how! My best strategy for
beginning this kind of play is a technique called deconstruction. This very
powerful strategy begins by helping a child learn to take a toy apart rather than
putting it together. It’s appropriate to use with many, many early toys. Instead
of
starting with building or putting pieces together, we start by purposefully
teaching a child to take the toy apart. By doing this, you help a child begin to
explore the toy, to understand a little bit more how the toy works, and we’re
starting at a point where he can be successful, which is always important.
This kind of play is instinctive for young children, but you may have
discouraged it in the past, not understanding that it’s a critical first step in
learning to play. For example, what’s a toddler’s very favorite thing to do with
blocks? You may think it’s building or stacking, but that’s not true. It’s
knocking the tower down, right? It’s what they love the most! That’s what
keeps them playing with the blocks over and over again—that’s what makes
them want to stack, so they can knock it down.
Let’s discuss how we can use this natural inclination as an entryway to help a
child with autism learn to play with several kinds of toys and develop early
play skills. Begin with an assembled toy and show a child how to take the
pieces off or out. For example, with a ring stacker, place all the rings on the
peg,
then dramatically take them off one by one as the child watches. After you’ve
removed a few rings, pause to see if the child will try. If he doesn’t, reach out
and help him. Some toddlers respond well to an “end” for an action like this
during a play routine. Provide a container for placing the rings in as the child
takes them off the stacker. Try a plastic wipe box, a bowl, or even a Ziploc
bag.
Play with the toy like this for several days or weeks, until a child is easily
removing the rings on his own. At that point, introduce putting the toy
together by waiting until he’s finished taking all the rings off, and then add
one ring. Offer him a ring and pause to see his reaction. If he doesn’t try to
place it on the
stacker, add another ring yourself and wait. Guide his arm toward the stacker
to see if he’ll add the ring.Provide full assistance if he doesn’t. If he becomes
upset with this new step, stay at the deconstruction step a little longer with this
toy.
Early toys with pieces work well for deconstruction, including:

• Puzzles – Take the pieces out instead of putting pieces in the puzzle.
• LEGOs – Take LEGOs off a tower instead of stacking them on top.
• Pop Beads – Pull the beads apart first before trying to push them together.
• Mr. Potato Head – Pull out body part pieces before teaching him to push in
pieces.
• Baby Doll – Take clothes off rather than putting clothes on the doll.
Think about other ways to “start at the end” with play. A child might close all
doors you’ve opened on a Poppin’ Pals toy or a Jack-in-the-Box. He might
pull magnetic trains apart or pull a trailer off a tractor instead of hooking it on.
You can even use this strategy with higher level toys like Play-Doh, a bus with
people, a barn and farm animals, or a dollhouse with furniture. Show a child
how to take each piece away from the set and place them in a container or into
another related toy.
For example, with Play-Doh, push a cookie cutter into the Play-Doh and
encourage the child to take out the cutter. With a farm set, begin by placing
several animals in the barn. Model opening the door and taking the animals
out to put them in a trailer. If there’s no trailer, just set them aside in a line or
pile.
This period of introduction to something new with little expectations for true
“play” helps a toddler warm up, become more comfortable with handling the
items, and be less likely to reject or ignore something just because they don’t
know how to play.
From The Autism Workbook. Check it out for a comprehensive plan for
treating autism in young children. If you're frustated with a lack of progress
with a kid who is or may be on the spectrum, I can help you figure out what's
missing. Use the checklists and questions to determine your next goals and
strategies. Get more information here.

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Limited Play Skills?

That's shocking to some parents of late talkers, but it's true!

This takes some effort, but it does pay off!

Here's some more information about introducing deconstruction: a written

Teaching Through Deconstruction

Early toys with pieces work well for deconstruction, including:

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