Play Behaviors of Parents and Their Young Children With Disabilities

Learning to explore, communicate, and interact with others and the environment through play can be problematic for young children with disabilities, but with parental support, children can learn and interact successfully during play activities. To determine how parents engage their preschool children with disabilities in play and what behaviors they use to enjoy interaction and support development, 13 studies were reviewed. Play behaviors of young children with a variety of disabilities were also examined to determine how children engage with toys and adults and what types of play have a positive impact on development. Collaborative play was found to be beneficial to children regardless of their disability. Parents appear to use their knowledge of their children to engage them in play while scaffolding interactions to facilitate social communication, daily routines, and learning. Because play provides a context for the provision of early intervention supports, implications for practice are discussed.