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Objective: Interrater agreement and construct validity of the Revised Knox Preschool Play Scale (RKPPS) were examined., Method: Two separately trained raters evaluated 38 typically developing children, ages 36 to 72 months. For each child, the raters observed two 15-min free-play sessions., Results: For the overall play age, the scores of the two raters were within 8 months of each other 86.8% of the time; for the 4 dimension scores, they were within 12 months of each other 91.7% to 100% of the time; and for the 12 category scores, they were within one age level of each other 81.8% to 100% of the time. Construct validity results showed a general match between the children's chronological ages and their overall play age scores., Conclusions: Findings suggest that two raters can score the RKPPS with some consistency and that scores on this measure progress developmentally, thus supporting its construct validity.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of a powered mobility riding toy on the participation behaviors of young children with complex developmental delays., Method: A single-subject withdrawal design was used to study the effects of powered mobility on child-initiated movement occurrences, initiation of contact with others, and affect. The participants were two young children with complex developmental delays, including spastic quadriplegia. The intervention consisted of having the children use a powered mobility riding toy in their school settings during gym class and outdoor recess., Results: Primary findings were that use of the powered mobility riding toy (a) increased the number of self-initiated movement occurrences; (b) appeared to have some effect on initiation of contacts with adults and, for one child, negative adult initiations and positive peer initiations; and (c) did not have a clear impact on the amount of positive affect., Conclusion: For some young children with severe motor impairments and developmental delay, use of a powered mobility device may increase self-initiated movement occurrences during free play.

Objective: This study was designed to compare measures of pain when children with burn injuries were engaged in a purposeful activity, specifically a play activity, versus rote exercise., Method: Two 6-year-old children participated in a study using a single-subject, randomized multiple treatment design to compare two conditions: purposeful activity and rote exercise. Data were gathered for each session on four dependent measures: number of repetitions of therapeutic exercise completed, number and type of overt distress behaviors displayed, scores on self-report scales of pain intensity, and overall enjoyment of the activity., Results: Visual inspection of the graphed data suggested that, early in the rehabilitation process, the use of a play activity in comparison to rote exercise yielded better outcomes in terms of all four dependent measures. Additionally, the data implied that there may be a point later in the rehabilitation of a child with a burn injury when rote exercise may be as effective as play activities in meeting therapeutic goals., Conclusion: This study supports the belief that purposeful activity can yield results equal to or better than those achieved using rote exercise. Replication of this study is warranted, and the development is indicated of a measure of overt behavioral distress that is more appropriate than those currently available for children with burn injuries.

Objective: This study examined the roles that play occupies within current occupational therapy practice with preschoolers., Method: Two hundred twenty-four pediatric occupational therapists completed mail questionnaires designed to ascertain how they use play in their practice, their knowledge and use of play assessments, and potential constraints on their use of play., Results: Although respondents indicated that play was important in motivating children and frequently used play as a treatment modality or reinforcer, they less frequently assessed play behaviors or wrote treatment goals and objectives related to play. Differences were found between school-based and non-school-based respondents regarding the discipline or model that addresses play in the work setting, the use of play assessments, and constraints that limit the use of play in the work setting., Conclusion: The results suggest a need for increasing the emphasis on play in entry-level curricula and continuing education, improving clinician access to valid and reliable play assessments, and completing studies designed to examine the use and efficacy of play in occupational therapy intervention.