Parent Guide for Therapeutic Play

The purpose of this project was to create a guide for parents of children ages three through six who have transitioned from early intervention services and did not qualify for early special education services. Delays may be present in many areas including cognitive, fine motor, gross motor, social-emotional, and adaptive development (North Dakota Department of Human Services, 2013), creating difficulty for the child to engage in everyday occupations including play. An extensive literature review was conducted in order to obtain up to date information on the importance of play in development and facilitation of parent led play sessions. Research articles, textbooks, and current resources available to families of children with developmental disabilities were all reviewed. The guide was created using the Person Environment Occupation Model in order to assist parents in understanding their child’s developmental needs, the impact of the environment, and the skills learned during the occupation of play. The Parent Guide for Therapeutic Play was organized to be parent friendly. It begins with a brief introduction of the guide’s purpose, followed by an explanation of the Person Environment Occupation Model. This overview provided information for the parent to maximize the fit between the child’s skill level, the environment, and the play occupation