MANSFIELD, Ohio — Over the last six months, Ashley Miller’s relationship with her four-year-old son, Max–who was diagnosed with mid-level autism at age two–has changed for the better. She credits the change, in large part, to having a greater understanding of how to best interact with him.
That understanding was gained through participating in a program offered at Richland Newhope called the PLAY (Play and Language for Autistic Youngsters) Project. The PLAY Project is an evidence-based autism early intervention program created to help parents develop a better connection with their child through play and help the child improve his or her language, development, behavior and social skills.
It was developed by Dr. Richard Solomon, the medical director of The Ann Arbor Center for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.
Newhope began offering this form of autism therapy free of charge to families in the fall of 2014. Currently, Newhope is the only agency in Richland County to offer this therapy. The agency has three people on staff who are certified PLAY Project consultants, including occupational therapist John Bradley and early intervention specialists Amber Merrell and Kristin Goon.
Bradley, who’s been practicing occupational therapy for about 20 years, has found the program to be beneficial, noting, “I think I was already doing a lot of their principles, but I just didn’t have words to explain what I did. So this has allowed me to understand what I kind of did intuitively and share that with families so that they can play with their children that same way.”
He explained that the PLAY Project is parent-mediated and that the program’s approach is centered on “following the child’s lead,” which means following the child’s emotions. It’s not a matter of copying or imitating the child; rather, it involves taking the child’s cue in order to build new interactions and experiences.
“By following [the child’s] lead, we’re going to see what they enjoy. Our goal, then, is to introduce some barriers within the context of what they want to do that will help them develop skills and communicate,” he said.
Having that ability to communicate and relate well with others is critical, he indicated. “I believe in my heart that if the child has the ability to relate then they can learn anything,” he said.
Children with autism often face difficulties in communicating and relating with others.
Bradley said the program works for children who are diagnosed with any spectrum of autism; however, those who are high-functioning are most likely able to progress faster and further than those who have severe autism. Children up to age six can participate in the program.
“I think it’s doing amazingly well,” Merrell said of the program. One child that she’s working with in the program didn’t interact with his family at all and now he enjoys playing with his parents and siblings, she said.
Another child used to complain when she would meet with him and his parents for their session. “He’d walk me to the door every time and he’d have a fit when I was there,” she said. “Now when I get there he gives me a hug and a kiss…he sees me a lot and knows when I’m coming that it’s fun time and he’s ready to play.”
As part of the program, the consultants visit the families at their home and videotape the parents playing with their child, and the consultants are also videotaped playing with the child. The parents are then coached on how to implement methods and techniques that are effective in day-to-day interactions with their child. The consultants also create a report that includes suggestions for improvement and highlights the child’s progress in terms of functional development.
Bradley, who’s been working with the Miller family for the past six months in this form of therapy, is excited about Max’s progress. “He’s doing a lot better staying regulated as we play with him,” Bradley said.
Initially, Max was mainly interested in his hundreds of cars. “He wasn’t playing with the cars like a typical child would. It was more like he was into they were ordered,” Bradley said. And if his parents were to move one out of order or try to play with one, Max would become upset; however, now, he’s much more calm if that were to happen, Bradley noted.
“It’s so nice to be able to have tools to be able to help him somewhat instead of being completely helpless in the situation,” Ashley Miller said.
The program also has helped affirm her actions as a parent. “It really helps me to see him smile and have that affirmation that you’re doing it right with the tools you’ve been given.”
Before participating in the PLAY Project, the Millers were unaware of any local resources available that they could utilize. They were told by the doctor who gave Max his diagnosis that they would need to spend $60,000 for therapy in Cleveland.
Fortunately, they became aware of the services offered by Richland Newhope and were able to receive help locally.
Newhope currently has about eight families involved in the PLAY Project, and there’s room for more, Bradley said.
Those interested in the program should contact Richland Newhope at 419-774-4200.
“I believe in my heart that if the child has the ability to relate then they can learn anything,” said occupational therapist John Bradley.
