Play behaviours and play object preferences of young children with autistic disorder in a clinical play environment.

Dominguez et al. (2006) watched preschoolers with autism and same-age peers in a clinic playroom.

They noted which toys the kids touched and how they used them.

The study used a quasi-experimental design: no random groups, just careful side-by-side comparison.

Children with autism picked different toys and played with them in simpler ways.

Typical kids used more pretend acts and shared objects more often.

The gap was large enough to show up without any fancy stats.

Williams (2003) and Pratt (1985) had already said autistic kids play differently; Anna gives fresh numbers to those old claims.

Harrop et al. (2017) added a sex lens: girls still like dolls and boys like cars, but both pick them less often than typical peers.

Pane et al. (2022) turned the toy-preference clue into action: teach play targets that match the child’s developmental level, not their age.

Weiss et al. (2021) looked negative too, yet they studied toddlers who ignored their name; Anna studied preschoolers who ignored certain toys—different ages, different gaps, no real clash.

Use the child’s favorite toy as your first teaching tool.

If a kid lines up cars, start new skills with those cars before you introduce dolls or puzzles.

Match play goals to the child’s level, not the birthday on the file.

This small shift raises engagement and cuts problem behavior in the very first session.