Structuring Play for Children with ASD
in Early Childhood Classrooms
Assessment:
Do We…
Target
Rating
(1=never/not at all;
5=always/consistently
Organizing Play & Developing Centers
1.
Regularly provide structured play opportunities instead of free
play for students who need support to improve play skills?
Have organized play areas with borders/dividers separating
play activities?
Minimize the numbers of students in play areas by providing
play centers for smaller groups?
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13. Have an identified set of at least five dramatic play activities,
including props and materials that are rotated in play activities?
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14. Preteach dramatic play skills (through large group role plays,
books, Matt & Molly stories, etc.)?
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15. Use scripts, sequencing cards, picture books, computer books,
video modeling or other visual cues to teach dramatic play to
students?
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Adult Support & Goal Cards
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Use strategies to increase adult support during play activities
through:
(a) providing push-in ancillary services?
(b) identifying volunteers to participate in the classroom?
(c) assigning adults to students or groups during play
activities, including centers?
Use written goal cards with targets for staff to address during
play activities?
Consistently provide learning opportunities, supported by
adults, to encourage play skill development?
Using Age-Appropriate, Interesting Materials
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Observe in Kindergarten classrooms at least 2 times per year to
determine appropriate play activities to teach students?
Rotate the play materials and activities that are available
during dramatic play and other play periods?
Incorporate specific student interests into play activities (e.g.,
by taking the child’s primary interest area and occasionally
building it into play-based center activities)?
Games
10. Have a scheduled time that games are taught to students in
small groups with adults supporting those groups?
11. Systematically teach students the skills and rules necessary to
play games, using visual cues, as necessary? (e.g., Scarecrow
relay, Connect Four, etc.)
12. Teach students to use appropriate social-language during
games (“good job,” “do you want to play again?,” “that was
fun”)
Dramatic Play
“START Project Materials 2012”
Check if this is
a priority
Do we…
Target
Rating
Check if this is
a priority
(1=never/not at all;
5= always/consistently
Recess
16. Facilitate learning opportunities during recess by:
(a) preteaching skills?
(b) teaching group playground games (6 games per year)?
(c) using visual supports?
(d) actively engaging with students who require further
support for at least 5-min per recess period)?
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Assessment
17. Assess students to determine toy play and social/play areas
requiring further instruction?
18. Provide systematic, supported opportunities to learn play
skills, with data collection, to determine progress on targets?
Increasing Learning Opportunities in Play for Individual Students
19. Use strategies to increase student interest in toys and people
(e.g., reciprocal imitation, pairing adults with high interest
activities)?
20. Teach early learners basic toy play skills using direct
instruction or another systematic process while focusing on
skills from a variety of domains (play imitation, early toy play,
play with blocks and manipulatives, play with vehicles, play
with figures or stuffed animals, pretend play)?
21. Systematically teach children with ASD to imitate others (both
peers and adults)?
22. Use visual supports such as picture cues or video modeling to
encourage learners to engage in social-play activities?
23. Set up and support students to engage in observational play by
using identical toy play sets, with peers or adults modeling
appropriate toy play?
24. Teach learners with ASD to play appropriately with toys and
peers in integrated settings?
25. Train typical peers and peers with other disabilities to initiate
and participate in play and social opportunities with their peers
with ASD?
“START Project Materials 2012”
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