Feasibility of a play-based intervention set for toddlers with autism.
Parents can run a low-stress, toy-based program at home and see fewer autism symptoms in toddlers.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Parents tried a six-month play program called Meta-play at home with their toddlers who have autism.
They used everyday toys and games to build social and play skills.
The team tracked how easy the plan was to follow and asked parents what they thought.
What they found
Parents said the play routine felt doable and helpful.
They saw fewer autism symptoms and less repetitive behavior at home.
Families liked the method and wanted to keep using it.
How this fits with other research
Tiede et al. (2019) pooled 27 studies and found naturalistic play programs give small-to-medium boosts in language, play, and social skills for preschoolers.
Guthrie et al. (2023) ran an RCT and showed starting parent coaching at 18 months beats waiting until 27 months. Their timing result lifts R et al.’s toddler work from “it works” to “start now.”
Irvin et al. (1998) proved parents can run a structured TEACCH home program with big gains. R et al. swaps TEACCH tasks for playful games, showing the same parent-power works with looser, fun lessons.
Why it matters
You can hand families a simple play guide and expect them to use it.
Begin as soon as autism is suspected; waiting nine months may lose easy wins.
Track parent stress and teamwork—Fu et al. (2020) show warm back-and-forth play doubles the payoff.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The Meta-play Method is a play-based, naturalistic set of interventions designed to decrease the symptoms associated with autism in toddlers. The purpose of the present study was to explore the feasibility of using this intervention set with a small group of toddlers and their parents. We selected seven toddlers diagnosed with autism and tested these children for autism severity and severity of repetitive behaviors. Parents were trained on the basic concepts of DBTA and the Meta-play activities. Researchers reviewed the integrity of interventions at once- or twice-monthly home visits for a six-month period, and recorded progress as rated by the parent. Activities were adapted at each visit to the interests and progress of the participating toddler. At the end of six months, autism symptoms and repetitive behavior decreased and parents reported high levels of social validity. Additional aspects of data collection and outcome measures, and suitability of interventions and procedures are discussed. While some outcomes were encouraging, a number of changes are recommended for future research.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2018 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2018.05.010