Supporting Social Play of Preschoolers with and without Autism: A Collaborative Approach for Special Educators and Speech Language Pathologists

Play in early childhood environments is critical to the social development of all children, including those with disabilities. Children with autism often experience delays in the development of play skills and may especially struggle with social play with peers. Thus, strategies to support social play in inclusive preschool settings are needed. The purpose of this article is to provide practitioners with an overview of evidence-based strategies to increase play interactions between children with autism and their peers in inclusive preschool settings. We outline the importance of play in early childhood classrooms, provide an overview of common play and social interaction challenges experienced by young children with autism, and describe and exemplify strategies to promote play between peers. We provide recommendations for collaborations between special educators and speech language pathologists working with children with autism to support children's play in inclusive environments.