Play therapy in children with autism:Its role,implications,and limitations

Play is a pleasurable physical or mental activity that enhances the child’s skills involving negotiation abilities,problem-solving,manual dexterity,sharing,decision-making,and working in a group.Play affects all the brain's areas,structures,and functions.Children with autism have adaptive behavior,adaptive response,and social interaction limitations.This review explores the different applications of play therapy in helping children with autism disorder.Play is usually significantly impaired in children with autism.Play therapy is mainly intended to help children to honor their unique mental abilities and developmental levels.The main aim of play therapy is to prevent or solve psychosocial difficulties and achieve optimal child-healthy growth and development.Play therapy helps children with autism to engage in play activities of their interest and choice to express themselves in the most comfortable ways.It changes their way of self-expression from unwanted behaviors to more non-injurious expressive behavior using toys or activities of their choice as their words.Play therapy also helps those children to experience feeling out various interaction styles.Every child with autism is unique and responds differently.Therefore,different types of intervention,like play therapy,could fit the differences in children with autism.Proper evaluation of the child is mandatory to evaluate which type fits the child more than the others.This narrative review revised the different types of play therapy that could fit children with autism in an evidence-based way.Despite weak evidence,play therapy still has potential benefits for patients and their families.

Comparison Study of Art Therapy and Play Therapy in Reducing Anxiety on Pre-School Children Who Experience Hospitalization

Pain and hospitalization caused a crisis in the child’s life. At the pre-school children, the stress of the disease makes children become less able to cope with separation. As a result, many children show anxious behavior though more vague than toddler age children. Various ways have been conducted by nurses to treat anxiety in children, but the most effective types of the intervention have not be found. Types of intervention that can be done are art therapy and play therapy. This study aims to compare the effects of art therapy and play therapy in reducing anxiety on children who experience hospitalization. A quasi-experimental research design with pre-post test two group design is used. The sample was 23 children pre-school age for art therapy group and 25 children for play therapy with sampling techniques performed purposive sampling. Intervention of art therapy and play therapy each performed for 3 days with duration about 30 minutes. Anxiety levels before and after the intervention were measured by using the facial affective scale. The results show that there is a difference in anxiety between before and after the action in the art therapy group (p = 0.00) and that there are differences in anxiety before and after the action in the play therapy group (0.00). But statistical tests using Man Whitney U indicate that there is no difference in anxiety levels in pre-school children who do art therapy and play therapy (p = 0.26). So, it is concluded that the art therapy and the play therapy can reduce the level of anxiety on pre-school school children that experience hospitalization. Based on these conclusions, it is recommended that the art therapy and the play therapy can be used by nurses and the choice of the intervention should be submitted to the child.

CBASP Adapted to Child Play Therapy Structure to Prevent Early-Onset Persistent Depressive Disorder

The current paper is a theoretical proposal that interfaces the Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP) and its emphasis on interpersonal consequences with the structured order of a Play Therapy Model for troubled 3 - 8-year-old children. This proposal is not a research paper or a review of literature;instead, it is a treatment proposal that is novel and untested. CBASP psychotherapy, an empirically validated treatment, was developed originally to treat the persistently depressed adult. CBASP’s major focus of interpersonal consequation will be interfaced with a Play Therapy structured model to rectify the maladaptive preoperational functioning of five interpersonal types of problem-children. The types are classified interpersonally using D.J. Kiesler’s Interpersonal Message Inventory (IMI). Kiesler’s IMI is employed in this proposal as an ongoing assessment modality, a source of information to make treatment strategy consequation decisions, and thirdly as an evaluative outcome variable. The troubled child types described herein frequently become candidates for early-onset Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD) unless rescued by successful treatment. The origins of early-onset PDD arise in dysfunctional households where toxic interpersonal relationships predominate: where “survival from abuse,” not growth, describes the child’s modal developmental experiences. These children are often exposed to either serious traumas (e.g., sexual abuse, loss of a parent, physical abuse, physical or emotional neglect) or psychological insults (e.g., continuous, and chronic verbal and nonverbal abuse). The result, in the most serious cases, is a maturational stunting at the preoperational stage of development which, as noted above, if not successfully resolved, thrusts the child into early-onset PDD.

Combined music and play therapy resolves chronic toddler sleep issues: a case report

In this article,the author reports on her clients'case study using a play and music therapy intervention to improve family sleep and resolve chronic toddler sleep issues.The author/composer developed a systemised approach,which has been highly successful since the initial trial in 2010 on her toddler,which had infant sleep issues.Using a three steps approach consisting of routine and'filial therapy',re-connection and lullaby lyrics,and ending with relaxation the instrument component of the music therapy intervention,children and parents enjoy improved bonding,less anxiety,improved sleep outcomes and better health.