madstitcher101 Report post Posted September 1, 2012 Has anyone's child been to one of these Therapeutic Play Sessions? Just had an appointment come through the post for my daughter, Emma, to attend and I wanted to know what exactly it was and is it beneficial for Emma? What do they do at these sessions and how long do they go on for? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rufusrufus Report post Posted September 1, 2012 Hi there. I can't say exactly what you could expect, but I used to volunteer / work at a home-based therapy programme for a child with severe autism and there were elements of therapeutic play in what we did, so I don't know if this is helpful at all. We would use play to foster interaction between ourselves and the child. A formal therapeutic setting was more than he could cope with, he'd just shut down, but by engaging with him on his own terms, through play, this helped him learn to tolerate (and even occasionally enjoy!) our presence. I would think that in a first appointment they may do some kind of assessment - Emma's needs, areas she struggles in, what insight you can give them maybe? I'm not sure. I don't know how long each session might last though. We used elements of Phoebe Caldwell's Intensive Interaction and Son-Rise too, as well as Stanley Greenspan's Floor Time method and Sensory Integration stuff. I don't know if any of that is relevant at all, but I think it's really interesting stuff to read, in any case! Funnily enough I got accepted onto a Post Grad course to study play therapy, but then the course didn't run. If it had I could probably have given you some better info, sorry! Good luck though Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
justine1 Report post Posted September 1, 2012 My son,now 6 but was 4 at the time,was referred before his diagnosis. We went as a family for the first appointment she wanted to see the dynamics,the relationship he has with me and his brothers. I was then asked a few questions whilst they drew pictures. After that it was decided they could not help me as they firmly believed he had ASD and they generally only deal with children who have mental health problems or troubled background. I was referred to the development centre where his brother had a diagnosis and he to got a diagnosis. Hopefully it will be beneficial to you both. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
madstitcher101 Report post Posted September 1, 2012 Thanks for your replies. Justine1, camhs have already said to us that they don't believe that Emma has ASD, so it will be interesting to see what they say at this appointment. I firmly believe they are wrong and I believe that she is on the autistic spectrum, not as severe as her brother but I'm certain of it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sally44 Report post Posted September 2, 2012 My son had play therapy, which we paid for. As said above, typically a play therapist is dealing with children with troubled backgrounds, so I would suggest you ask the play therapist if she has any qualifications or experience of working with children with autism. My son did benefit from the sessions, which were specifically for children with an ASD. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
