Dealing Children With Autism: Early Intervention Program Helps Parents To Improve Autistic Kids’ Interaction, Development

An early intervention program is helping parents in dealing with children with autism in an affordable and practical manner. A program called Play and Learning for Autistic Youngsters (PLAY) Project teaches parents and family members how to use play as a way to help autistic kids achieve their full potential.

The PLAY Project is an evidenced-based autism early intervention program that supports parents in connecting, communicating and building relationships with autistic kids. Dr. Richard Solomon, a pediatrician, created the program in 2001.

It was in response to the shortage of comprehensive, affordable and early intervention services for children with autism. The program trains parents how to utilize 15 to 20 hours of dedicated play time per week as a way to help autistic kids improve social interaction, development and communication.

How The Early Intervention Program Works For Children With Autism

Under the early intervention program, the PLAY Project consultants will work with parents in creating plans for the weekly play time at home. As the parents execute the plan, the consultants will provide advice, coaching and video feedback.

Maggie Gons, a speech pathologist and PLAY Project consultant, told The Columbus Dispatch that parents of children with autism are taught in the early intervention program how to play meaningfully without getting bossy. She explained that engagement will follow when autistic kids are not pushed to reach their potential.

The Impact Of The Early Intervention Program To Children With Autism

Ohio is one of the states that adopted the PLAY Project in 2011. According to John Martin, director for the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, almost 70 percent of counties in the state are now embracing the early intervention program for children with autism. "This unique program helps to build the essential relationship between parent and child," Martin stated.

Jason and Julie Luu, parents of 2-year-old Ben Luu, shared that they started to adopt the program several months ago after they noticed that their autistic child was becoming more difficult to engage. Although they acknowledged that Ben still has a lot of things to work on, the Luus said that the early intervention program helped their child to be more engaged and make more strides.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in the United States is about one in every 68 children. The disorder is 4.5 times more prevalent among boys than among girls.