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LEARN TO PLAY

Therapeutic Child Play Program Designed by Karen Stagnitti PhD, BOccThy, GCHE

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LEARN TO PLAY

The goal of Learn to Play Therapy is to help children develop their ability to engage in spontaneous pretend play. Pretend play is the most complex and mature form of play. Pretend play has an impact on the child's language (especially narrative language), social interaction, and emotional integration of the child's life experiences.

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Learn to Play is a therapy programme for children who may have developmental delays, ASD , or who have difficulty playing with their peers. During the Learn to Play therapy sessions, your child will have the opportunity to improve their pretend play skills and build up to what would be  appropriate for their age and development. The sessions will include a variety of play activities that are ideal for your child's current stage of development and where they feel most confident. The play therapy sessions will gradually challenge your child as their pretend play abilities grow.

Over a 6-month period in a special learning environment, the ‘Learn to Play' program was linked to improvements in children's language and social skills, indicating that the Learn to Play program is an effective intervention for children with developmental disabilities.


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(Stagnitti, O'Connor & Sheppard, 2012)

BENEFITS OF LEARN TO PLAY

INCREASING SOCIAL SKILLS

INCREASING EMOTIONAL REGULATION

LEARNING VERBAL AND NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

CONTRIBUTES TO ALL ASPECTS OF CHILD LEARNING

ENCOURAGES IMAGINATION

INCREASING COGNITIVE ABILITY

HELPS LOGICAL, SEQUENTIAL THOUGHT

INCREASING SOCIALISATION AND CONNECTION TO PEERS

Stagnitti K. Learn to Play Events - For Teachers [Internet]. Learn to Play. 2021 [cited 30 August 2021]. Available from: https://www.learntoplayevents.com/

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Stagnitti K. Learn to Play Events - For Therapists [Internet]. Learn to Play. 2021 [cited 30 August 2021]. Available from: https://www.learntoplayevents.com/

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Stagnitti K. Learn to Play Events - Play [Internet]. Learn to Play. 2021 [cited 30 August 2021]. Available from: https://www.learntoplayevents.com/

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Stagnitti K, O'Connor C, Sheppard L. Impact of the Learn to Play program on play, social competence and language for children aged 5-8 years who attend a specialist school. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal. 2012;59(4):302-311.

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