The role of context in functional and symbolic play in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

The present study analyzed the playing skills in a group of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The complexity of the play was analyzed in terms of functional and symbolic activity within two contexts: individual play and interaction with the parent. Ten parent-child dyads participated in the research. All children presented a diagnosis of ASD according to the DSM-5. For each parentchild dyad a 10-minute videotaped observation session was performed including the individual play context and the interactive play context. The results highlighted a prevalence of functional play with respect to the symbolic play, which increases in the context of interaction with the parent. The data are discussed in terms of implications in considering the role of the relational aspects within an intervention program.