interfaces, including touch screens and 1 to 3 switches. Register to create your own. It only takes minutes to make an activity with your student’s specific interests in mind. Choose a video from YouTube and upload it. You can set stop intervals or have them occur randomly. Targets to resume play can be placed around the screen to help eye gaze users learn to access differ- ent quadrants of the screen. For children who have difficulty using a standard mouse for computer games and electronic books, add Velcro to the but- ton to provide a tactile or visual cue, or add a block, bottle cap, or plastic ring to the button to enable physical access. A one- button mouse may be an alternate solution. Remember to ex- plore mouse accessibility options (slow down speed, increase cursor size, mouse trails, etc.). Touch screen navigation can be enhanced through the use of grids as well as taking advantage of accessibility options such as AssitiveTouch, STRUCTURING PLAY Research suggests children with disabilities may not play in the same manner as their typically developing peers (Barton, et al, 2019). Just as shared reading guides and supports liter- acy experiences and partner assisted communication models and enhances language development, it may be necessary to “teach” and model play behaviors. Hasbro Toys and The Autism Project have collaborated to provide free TOYBOX TOOLS, to provide a form of structure to help children understand and engage in play. Instructional videos, printable materials and play-mats have been designed to help children learn how to play with selected (Hasbro) toys and games as well as support families, caregivers, and teachers to make play with these items more fun and enjoyable at the child’s own pace. Resources in- clude Countdown Timers to encourage an understanding of time passing, Wait Cards to cue child when it is time to wait, Turn Taking Cards to visually communicate whose turn it is to play with a toy or game, Help Cards to cue child to request help and provide an alternative means of communicating that need, Break Cards to assist child in requesting a break when play becomes frustrating, First/Then Board and Sequencing Boards, Play Mats, and Play Books. Play Books include up to three levels: basic play, expanding play, and social play. Each Play Book includes basic text to support the activity and actual photographs illustrating each page. Similarly, the Melissa and Doug Toy Company has partnered with the American Academy of Pediatrics to offer The Power of Play digital booklet which contains practical ideas for parents, caregivers, and profession- als who work with children, including: • Play advice and resources for parents • Play guides based developmental stages that help ad- dress behaviors such as managing big feelings, making friends, and paying attention
• Play to the Rescue” ideas to help caregivers refrain from the temptation of handing a child a digital device at res- taurants, in cars, on bad-weather days, and during every- day errands and routines. The play behaviors developed in childhood including explo- ration, social interaction, problem-solving, and persistence to task provide a foundation for the skills needed for life. With the right expectations and interventions, it is possible to enhance participation in play. Removing barriers and providing access to young children with differing abilities can expand play rep- ertoires. Whether working virtually or face to face, simple adap- tations with easily found materials can make play experiences more meaningful. When solutions are easy to find, understand, and implement, they are more likely to be used, and can serve as a gateway to acceptance of more complex interventions. Looking at the environment through “Assistive Technology glasses” and acting upon what is seen can make the difference between children watching play from the sidelines and being active participants. Imagine the possibilities! REFERENCES AND RESOURCES: Barron C., Beckett A., Coussens M., Desoete A., Jones N.C., Lynch H. et al. Barriers to play and recreation for children and young people with disabilities. Berlin: De Gruyter; 2017. https://doi. org/10.1515/9783110526042. Barton E.E., Choi G., & Mauldin E.G. Teaching Sequences of Pre- tend Play to Children with Disabilities. Journal of Early Interven- tion. 2019;41(1):13-29. doi:10.1177/1053815118799466 Olson, J. & Moffit, H. Check It Out: Renew Your Literacy Instruc- tion with Adapted Books. Solutions Magazine, February / March 2012. Minneapolis: Closing the Gap. Schoonover, J. & Norton-Darr, S. (2016). Adapting Books: Ready, Set, Read! Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention. 9:1, 19-26, DOI: 10.1080/19411243.2016.1152831 Tots ‘n Tech Newsletter (2012). Powered mobility for young children retrieved from https://www.ctdinstitute.org/li- brary/2014-10-22/powered-mobility-infants-and-toddlers UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). General comment No. 17 on the right of the child to rest, leisure, play, recreational activities, cultural life and the arts (art. 31). 2013.
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