Play and Imagination in Children with Autism
Review by Debbie Reinhartsen, M.Ed., CCC-SLP, Speech-Language Pathologist
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Resource: |
Wolfberg, P. (1999). Play and imagination in young children with autism. New York: Teachers College Press. |
Pamela Wolfberg, author of this valuable resource, Play and imagination in children with autism, is not only a researcher and consultant in the San Francisco area, but also, founder and co-director of the Integrated Play Groups project. One of the major goals of her book, which promotes the Integrated Play Groups model, is to merge theory and practice with current knowledge about how we can help children with autism form peer relationships. Part one, Perspectives on Autism and Play describes the challenges children with autism face in the areas of reciprocal social interaction, communication and imagination. In addition, she describes different play interventions, including her own Integrated Play Groups Model. Part two, Passage to Play Culture tracks the lives of three children with autism who, over a two-year period participate in a peer play intervention. Wolfberg provides a blow-by-blow description of the strides these children made using the Integrated Play Groups model over a two-year period. These three case studies, which include children’s drawings, writing samples, and dialogue, really illustrate for the reader what it is like to know and work with children with autism. This book is consumer-friendly and contains excellent strategies to promote peer relationships among children with autism. This is a must for anyone’s library.