Theory of Mind Deficit is Associated with Pretend Play Performance, but not Playfulness, in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Does a high threshold of sensory responsiveness affect the development of pretend play in children on the autism spectrum?

BACKGROUND

Among the current avenues of research into the origins and development of the autism spectrum, those concerning atypical levels of sensory responsiveness are gaining increasing relevance. Researchers note the relationship of sensory responsiveness in children on the autism spectrum to their motor, cognitive and social development. Current research reports combines the responsiveness to sensory stimuli also with the development of pretend play. Aim of this study was to verify the relationship between the level of development of pretend play and the level of sensory responsiveness in children on the autism spectrum.

METHODS

A study was conducted in a group of 63 children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum aged from 3 years and 7 months to 9 years and 3 months using: Pretend Play subscale from the Theory of Mind Mechanism Scale and Sensory Experiences Questionnaire version 2.1.

RESULTS

The results revealed that elevated sensory hyporesponsiveness predicted low pretend play skills in the group of participating children.

CONCLUSION

The study verified the contribution of the level of sensory hyporesponsiveness to explaining the atypical development of pretend play in children on the autism spectrum.

Playing to Pretend or "Pretending" to Play: Play in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit early delays and deficits in play. In infancy, they engage in unusual exploratory behaviors with toys. As toddlers, they are slow to develop functional play, and in preschool some children with ASD fail to develop symbolic play despite having the necessary cognitive and language skills. Furthermore, when children with ASD are engaged in play, they demonstrate less playfulness. This article reviews the literature on the characteristics of exploratory, functional, and symbolic/pretend play in children with ASD and possible reasons for their unusual patterns of play development. Increased quantity and quality of play are frequent therapeutic goals for children with ASD. If play interventions are to be successful, it is critical that speech-language pathologists have an adequate assessment of children's play skills. Several frameworks and tools appropriate for assessing play in typical children and children with ASD are described.