Use of LEGO as a therapeutic medium for improving social competence.
Structured LEGO play with peer roles and light coaching sparks lasting social gains for autistic children.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team ran a LEGO club for autistic children. Kids built sets together while adults coached turn-taking, sharing, and talking.
They measured social skills before and after. No control group. They checked again 24 weeks later to see if gains stuck.
What they found
Social competence jumped after the club. Kids started more conversations and kept them going longer.
The boost was still there six months later. Autistic "aloofness" dropped and stayed low.
How this fits with other research
Owens et al. (2008) later ran an RCT and saw the same LEGO edge over both a talk-based program and no treatment. Their stricter design backs up the 2004 pilot.
Watkins et al. (2019) swapped LEGO for each child’s favorite toy and still got big peer gains. This shows the magic is structured play plus adult modeling, not the bricks themselves.
Sasson et al. (2022) moved the idea to recess, adding short video clips. Kids with autism plus intellectual disability gained social play. The LEGO study opened the door for these richer, mixed packages.
Why it matters
You don’t need fancy gear. A tub of LEGO, clear roles, and quick prompts can kick-start social initiations that last. Try a 15-minute peer build at the start of group. Rotate roles (supplier, builder, helper) and track who starts the next conversation.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
A repeated-measures, waiting list control design was used to assess efficacy of a social skills intervention for autistic spectrum children focused on individual and group LEGO play. The intervention combined aspects of behavior therapy, peer modeling and naturalistic communication strategies. Close interaction and joint attention to task play an important role in both group and individual therapy activities. The goal of treatment was to improve social competence (SC) which was construed as reflecting three components: (1) motivation to initiate social contact with peers; (2) ability to sustain interaction with peers for a period of time: and (3) overcoming autistic symptoms of aloofness and rigidity. Measures for the first two variables were based on observation of subjects in unstructured situations with peers; and the third variable was assessed using a structured rating scale, the SI subscale of the GARS. Results revealed significant improvement on all three measures at both 12 and 24 weeks with no evidence of gains during the waiting list period. No gender differences were found on outcome, and age of clients was not correlated with outcome. LEGO play appears to be a particularly effective medium for social skills intervention, and other researchers and clinicians are encouraged to attempt replication of this work, as well as to explore use of LEGO in other methodologies, or with different clinical populations.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2004 · doi:10.1007/s10803-004-2550-0