In the past few weeks we’ve looked at the definition of play, why it is important, and its developmental nature.
Although we know play is important, and that it develops in its own way, as adults we are often left wondering just how to support play development in our children. How do we honor true play at each developmental stage? How do we encourage the back and forth, reciprocal interactions that are so essential for developing neurological capacity? For Joey, it’s all about following his lead and responding to his interests. I often need to forget my own structured plan, and be willing to be a bit flexible in my hour with Joey so that I stretch out his happier moments into playful exchanges. [Read more…]
Often, when I work with Joey, I bring a book along with toy animals and props so that we can act out the book together. What I often want is to engage Joey in symbolic play during or after we’ve read the book.
I opened the cover of the shape book, held it up to my face, and gave Joey a quick smile through the cut out circle in the cover of the book. I’m not sure why I did it, but in the moment it had seemed like a silly interaction between reading different books. Not thinking anymore about it, I placed the book on his tray and turned around to get something else. When I turned back to Joey, he was holding the book up and grinning at me through the hole, with his eyes sparkling playfully. He quickly lost his grip on the awkward book, but he worked to turn the book from side to side and try to get his head back through the hole in the cover. He giggled and laughed throughout this experience, proud of himself for copying me joke, for surprising me, and for managing to get the book up in front of his face so many times. 
lay: why it is important, how it develops, and what this means for Joey
One surprising aspect of Joey’s communication growth over the last year has been to watch how his overall methods of communication increased along with his use of his Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) device. I often hear people fear that using an AAC device will mean that a child stops developing oral language, because he no longer has a need for it. I hear this from teachers and parents, and frankly, the first time anyone told me about an AAC device I asked the same thing. “If he can push a button and get what he wants, why on earth would he ever speak again?” “If he can talk, then why would we introduce him to a way of communicating that does not involve oral language?” 
