Play is an essential component of early childhood development. It serves as a conduit for making sense of the world surrounding a child. Children learn an array of skills from play that will be utilized for life, including self-regulation, language, probelm-solving, and various other cognitive abilities. However, young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often lack or display an impairment in competencies related to play. They require instruction to learn to play appropriately. In the school setting, lengthy academic instructional sessions and standardized test preparations have replaced the opportunities for play seen in traditional kindergarten classrooms. This trend is true for both general and special needs education curriculums. Thus, encounters to enhance emotional, cognitive, and physical development are inadequate. The proposed school-based play program. School of Play, is designed to inform educators on how to assess students’ play level, as well as teach and engage kindergarten youth with ASD in functional and pretend play exercises.
