Neurodiverse Play

By Makena Wood, B.Sc. Neuroscience student

Is there a “right” way to play? Although, as caregivers, we may direct children in their play and encourage them to use toys or follow the rules a certain way, you may have experienced a situation where a child is not interested in anything you have to say, despite your best intentions. Children often have their own unique ways of playing, and it’s important to recognize that independent play can be a healthy part of development as well. However, recognizing patterns of play that may be related to neurodiversity can also be essential in supporting your child to effectively be challenged and learn new things through play. This blog will explore the concept of neurodiversity and its implications for play, and likewise the development of executive function.

What is neurodiversity?

The term ‘neurodiversity’ reflects a movement that aims to include diagnoses like autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, developmental coordination disorder, and other social disorders as diverse outcomes of many possible brains, rather than disorders relative to “normal brains” (Baron-Cohen, 2017; Chapman & Botha, 2021). Essentially, the neurodiversity paradigm postulates the importance of viewing cognitive diversity as normal (Baron-Cohen, 2017; Chapman & Botha, 2021).

While this definition of neurodiversity encourages us to think about certain biases we may have in what we expect from children’s development, and ultimately encourages a more inclusive mindset, it doesn’t change the fact that neurodiverse children may not want to be included in what we consider to be “typical” play. Given this, it’s essential that caregivers of neurodiverse children learn to be aware of their child’s needs when it comes to play so that play can be used both for pleasure as well as for growth and learning new things.

Below are examples of common types of play you might expect or encourage from a child learning how they enjoy spending their time, and how typical presentations of these types of play may differ from child to child. These differences are not meant to be diagnostic, but rather serve to highlight the different ways you might be able to support your child in playful activities.

Social play

Neurodiverse children often struggle with social play (play involving interactions with others and the understanding of social behaviours that are appropriate) depending on their language or attentional abilities, despite potential desires to be engaged in social play (Cullen et al., 2024; Wilkes-Gillian et al., 2016).

In kids with ADHD, social play can be a challenge because their play is generally self-focused which can make sharing and responding to social cues difficult (Cordier et al., 2010 & Normand et al., 2011; as cited in Wilkes-Gillian et al., 2016). A study by Wilkes-Gillian et al. (2016) demonstrated an effective play-based intervention for improving social play skills in children with ADHD; their intervention involved cooperative play with an adult modelling positive play behaviours and video feedback sessions where the child would watch themselves engaging in cooperative play to engage in conversation about how their actions affected the outcomes of their play with others.

Besides attentional difficulties, another presentation of neurodiversity may be in difficulties with language. In an interview-based study for children with language difficulties, Cullen et al. (2024) found that children who struggle with language find their greatest challenges in resolving conflict and regulating their emotions. They found that children with language difficulty tend to have a negative bias towards the intentions of other children which can negatively impact their ability to resolve conflict. This is to say that children with language difficulties may more often mistake the behaviours of others as intentionally mean. As a result, these children may rely on running away, retaliating, or seeking adult support more often than a neurotypical child (Cullen et al., 2024). Strategies to support children with language difficulties in improving their social play involve increasing their knowledge in emotional regulation strategies (for example, taking deep breaths), providing opportunities for both solitude and social interaction in play settings, and mediating deeper connections with peers (Cullen et al., 2024).

Toy play

In studies investigating the neural correlates of play, play involving toys (for example, as I will discuss, toy trains or dolls) is often seen as an extension of pretend play, with the toys acting as motivators to engage the imagination (Hashmi, 2023). A review by Hashmi (2023) on the ways that children choose to play with toy trains describe that many children who are familiar with trains will choose to play pretend with those trains; however, in one study, neurodivergent children preferred to play with toy trains by setting up tracks and engaging in other kinds of construction activities rather than engaging in pretend play (Desha et al., 2003; as cited in Hashmi, 2023). Hashmi’s review also noted findings of an overall preference for play with toy trains in neurodiverse children compared to neurotypical children.

Conversely, doll play, another type of toy play, mediates both pretend and social play, and is often engaged in differently by neurodiverse children (Keating et al., 2023). In Keating’s study, both social partner and solo doll play was found to increase the activation of areas of the brain involved in social processing compared to either type of play on a tablet in all children. Likewise, doll play also encouraged greater internal state language (ISL) (the expression of personal and external perceptions and emotions) which is important for social development; however, the activation of social processing areas while discussing the internal states of others was lower for neurodiverse children (Keating et al., 2023). Children with neurodiverse traits tended to talk more during solo play (Keating et al., 2023). Further, they spoke more during solo doll play than during solo tablet play, as compared to neurotypical children, who did not show a difference in their amount of talking during either type of solo play (Keating et al., 2023). Either way, doll play encourages the development of social skills in both neurodiverse and neurotypical children through increased use of ISL, but the settings in which children are more likely to engage in ISL vary depending on the child. Lastly, Keating et al (2023) note that solitary doll play may be appealing to children to practice social skills without the possibility of peer rejection.

What can I do for my child?

So, is there a “right” way to play? Ultimately, the style of play that a child chooses to engage in is the right way to play for them. Given that children are being provided with supportive environments and opportunities to engage in playful behaviour that feel safe to them, they will continue to develop their executive function (including attentional and emotional regulation skills) and be better equipped to challenge themselves in new situations. As a caregiver, your role is to support your child in how they choose to play by modelling positive behaviours and providing feedback to increase self-awareness, empathy, and regulation skills; most of the time, this can all be accomplished by simply being a participant in the type of play your child chooses to engage in. As mentioned, noticing differences in your child’s play compared to others is not a diagnostic tool, but can be a power to you as a caregiver in supporting your child’s brain development.   

BBT curriculum: try any of BBT’s games with your child – start by reading over the rules to a few different games together, and whichever game your child seems most interested in is likely a good place to start. This choice gives your child a greater sense of control over a new play situation as you encourage them to try new games. Remember, it is important to participate in play with your child to strengthen your relationship (and reduce stress), model positive social behaviours, and encourage thinking about the consequences of social behaviours (both positive and negative) in play outcomes.

BBT blog: our blog page can be used as an inspiration for other games not included in our curriculum (many cultural games) or to learn more about your child’s brain and social development (topics like self-regulation, cognitive load, school readiness, mindfulness, emotional intelligence, attachment theory, and childhood friendships can all be found on our blog page).

Check out posts on our Instagram @buildingbrainstogether that discuss ADHD and Play, as well as Anxiety and Play.

References

Baron-Cohen, S. (2017). Editorial perspective: Neurodiversity – a revolutionary concept for autism and psychiatry. The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 58, 744-747. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12703

Chapman, R., & Botha, M. (2022). Neurodivergence-informed therapy. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 65, 310-317. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.15384

Cullen, H., Billingham, S., & St Clair, M. C. (2024). How do children with language disorder perceive their peer interactions? A qualitative investigation. Autism and Developmental Language Impairments, 9, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1177/23969415241275775

Hashmi, S. (2023). How do children play with toy trains and for what benefit? A scoping review. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology, and Education, 13, 2112-2134. https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe13100149

Keating, J., Hashmi, S., Vanderwert, R. E., Davies, R. M., Jones, C. R. G., Gerson, S. A. (2023). Embracing neurodiversity in doll play: Investigating neural and language correlates of doll play in a neurodiverse sample. European Journal of Neuroscience, 60, 4097-4114. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejn.16144

Wilkes-Gillian, S., Bundy, A., Cordier, R., Lincoln, M., Chen, Y-W. (2016) A randomised controlled trial of a play-based intervention to improve the social play skills of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). PLoS ONE, 11, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0160558