S-5 Make a Play: Promoting Social Emotional, Communication, and Cognitive Development through Play
Presenter
Format and Time
- In-Person Training: 5 hours (8:30-2:30)
Content
Play is more than interacting with classmates and manipulating materials. It is a Purposeful Learning Activity for Young Children. Play, both functional and symbolic, provides children with opportunities for social interaction and social communication, as well as a context for constructing representations of previous experiences and knowledge. Symbolic play, which is often an area of challenge for children with Autism, is noted as an important developmental skill associated with language development and cognition. Typically play develops naturally; however, this is not the case for some children, and they require facilitation. Through this training, participants will gain understanding of the stages of object and social play and recognize the impact of play deficits. Participants will be exposed to evidence-based practices which highlight play as the key context to enrich the early childhood learning environment and support the developmental progress of students.
Intended Audience
Preschool, transitional kindergarten and kindergarten special education teachers, speech-language pathologists, administrators, occupational therapists, inclusion specialist, parents, paraeducators, and psychologists
Participants Will
- Become familiar with key milestones in the development of object and social play.
- Understand the link between play and communication/cognition.
- Recognize delayed and disordered play and the associated implications.
- Learn techniques to facilitate the development of play skills.
