University of Northern Colorado Scholarship & Creative Works @ Digital UNC Dissertations Student Research 5-1-2015 Transcendence through Play: Child-Centered Play Therapy and Young Children with Autism Katherine Elizabeth Carrizales Follow this and additional works at: http://digscholarship.unco.edu/dissertations Recommended Citation Carrizales, Katherine Elizabeth, "Transcendence through Play: Child-Centered Play Therapy and Young Children with Autism" (2015). Dissertations. Paper 13. This Text is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Research at Scholarship & Creative Works @ Digital UNC. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholarship & Creative Works @ Digital UNC. For more information, please contact [email protected]. © 2015 KATHERINE ELIZABETH CARRIZALES ALL RIGHTS RESERVED UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN COLORADO Greeley, Colorado The Graduate School TRANSCENDENCE THROUGH PLAY: CHILD-CENTERED PLAY THERAPY AND YOUNG CHILDREN WITH AUTISM A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Katherine Elizabeth Carrizales College of Education and Behavioral Sciences Department of School Psychology May 2015 This Dissertation by: Katherine Elizabeth Carrizales Entitled: Transcendence Through Play: Child-Centered Play Therapy and Young Children with Autism has been approved as meeting the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in College of Education and Behavioral Sciences in Department of School Psychology Accepted by the Doctoral Committee _______________________________________________________________ Robyn S. Hess, Ph.D., Research Advisor _______________________________________________________________ John Mark Froiland, Ph.D., Committee Memberr _______________________________________________________________ Robin D. Brewer, Ed.D., Committee Member _______________________________________________________________ Tracy Gershwin Mueller, Ph.D., Faculty Representative Date of Dissertation Defense ________________________________________ Accepted by the Graduate School _____________________________________________________________ Linda L. Black, Ed.D. Associate Provost and Dean ABSTRACT Carrizales, Katherine Elizabeth. Transcendence Through Play: Child-Centered Play Therapy and Young Children with Autism. Published Doctor of Philosophy dissertation, University of Northern Colorado, 2015. This qualitative study was designed to explore the impact of child-centered play therapy on young children identified as having autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Children with autism often experience difficulties in social, communication, behavioral, and relational domains. Often the treatment protocol for these children is an intense schedule of behavioral interventions designed to decrease problematic and increase desired behaviors. However, little emphasis has been placed on the child’s core deficits in relational skills and even less importance has been placed on his/her adequate emotional development. The current study sought to understand the impact of participation in play therapy on emotional and relational skills in young children with ASD. Using qualitative methods including parent interviews, participant observation, weekly parent probes, and expert check-in/supervision, the progress of three children ages six- to seven-years-old was monitored as they participated in 16 bi-weekly (twice per week) child-centered play therapy (CPPT) sessions. The play of all three participants was coded and analyzed. A mobile play therapy room stocked with toys appropriate for children with ASD was utilized for each session. Transcripts of video-recorded sessions, field notes, parent interviews, and responses to weekly parent probes that occurred iii throughout the duration of the CCPT intervention were analyzed for themes. A subsequent within and cross case analysis was completed. Expert check-in and supervision occurred on a weekly basis to ensure adherence to CCPT intervention. Member checks, multiple reviews of videos, and transcribed interviews were completed by the researcher. To enhance trustworthiness, trained reviewers coded a sample of videos and transcriptions. Results from this study suggested young children with ASD experienced positive growth in a range of areas throughout their participation in CCPT. While the progress and growth noted was varied in the degree of improvement between individuals, results indicated participants displayed improvement in the areas of social engagement, autonomy, academic participation, emotional state, and sensory/repetitive behaviors. Study results also indicated varying degrees of change with regard to play skills in all three participants; two participants advanced through the play stages while one participant displayed fewer play skill changes. For all three participants, emergence of improved skills within CCPT sessions included more natural play, increased communicative behaviors, and enhanced social engagement. These skills occurred in tandem with the reduction of self-soothing behaviors within the play room, providing support to the theory that when provided a safe, accepting environment, children with ASD can display increased motivation and ability to interact more naturally, intimately, and freely with their external world and experience a forward moving state of self- healing power. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS If I can provide a certain type of relationship, the other person will discover within himself the capacity to use that relationship for growth and change, and personal development will occur. (Carl Rogers, 1961) Looking back over the course of this marathon, I am infinitely grateful for the incredible support, encouragement, and guidance I have received from numerous individuals along the way. I am most grateful to the members of my committee, Dr. Tracy Gershwin Mueller, Dr. Robin D. Brewer, and Dr. John Mark Froiland for their time, encouragement, and expertise throughout this project. Thank you also to Dr. Heather Helm for sharing your kindness and intense knowledge of CCPT as you instilled in me a passion for play therapy. I am especially grateful for and extend a special thank you to the chair of my committee and advisor, Dr. Robyn S. Hess. Thank you for your exquisite attention to detail, your pursuit for excellence within me, your guidance and inspiration, as well as your unending patience throughout not just this project but the duration of my educational journey. This has been my greatest marathon and I am grateful for your guidance through the finish! Thank you to Dr. Mark Hald and Dr. Anne Talbot at Options in Psychology LLC, for their support and use of their clinic for portions of this study. Dr. Hald, I am particularly grateful for your reassurance and understanding. Your expertise, guidance, and supervision throughout this study made this journey not only enlightening but most v enjoyable and sparked my excitement for future research! Thank you for taking the time to be with me and helping me grow as a therapist and professional throughout the duration of this process! I would like to also extend my gratitude to the Graham Fund through the University of Northern Colorado for proving funds to cover the cost of the traveling play therapy kit used within this study and to Educational Service Unit #13 for their allowance of time to pursue this degree. Finally, thank you, thank you to all of my family--Jennifer, Joey, Su, Dan, Susan, Doug, Robert, Kay, Bob, Juan, Karen and Rachel--who served as unrelenting cheerleaders throughout my education. Mom and Dad, somehow you instilled within me a sense of tenacity that kept me on course throughout this marathon. Thank you for always believing in me! To my husband, Aaron, who matched me stride for stride in the ups and downs of this marathon and who made sure to always remind me that the finish line was near, I would not have had the endurance to run this race this without you! And last but not least, to my little boy, Gavin, my most prized accomplishment, thank you for reminding me daily of life’s little excitements even as this journey became overwhelming. Now that this race is finished ……. “Let’s Play!” vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................... 1 Significance of the Problem ............................................................................... 5 Purpose of the Study .......................................................................................... 7 Statement of the Problem ................................................................................... 9 Guiding Questions ........................................................................................... 12 Delimitations .................................................................................................... 12 Definition of Terms.......................................................................................... 14 CHAPTER II. LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................... 19 What Is Play? ................................................................................................... 21 Deficient Versus Different in Play ................................................................... 23 Play and Child Development ........................................................................... 24 Stages of Neuro-typical Play ..........................................................................