teach2play™ is the revolutionary new series of four videos on DVD from teach2talk™ designed to help teach play skills to children with autism and other developmental disorders and to all other children who need assistance with their play skills.

Play skills are an important component of every child’s socialization and language, motor and mental development. Furthermore, learning play skills contributes to a child’s language development.

However, for some children, play skills don’t come as naturally as they do for others. Fortunately for those children who need a little more help with their play, child development experts have spent a lot of time studying the subject and have learned the sequence in which children learn how to play.

Our teach2play™ series uses video modeling to teach play skills in a systematic and scientific way. We have developed a “play ladder” which we use to teach play skills, with each successive “step” in the play ladder representing a new, more advanced level of play skills, starting from the lowest step (simply putting toys together) and progressing systematically through the highest step (playing dress up).

Our teach2play™ system combines our play ladder and teaching methods with video modeling, a powerful teaching tool which research shows is an effective method to teach children, including children with autism and other developmental disorders. The series also models appropriate language use when playing to contribute to children’s speech and language development.

Volume 3 of the teach2play™ series, Intermediate Play, covers the following steps in the teach2play™ play ladder:

• Step 8: FRENCH FRY IS AN AIRPLANE: At this level of play, the child uses one object as a substitute for another when playing, such as substituting a stick for a thermometer.
• Step 9: INVISIBLE FRENCH FRY: At this level of play, the child pretends to use an item which is not actually present, for example, by shooting a pretend basket or playing air guitar.
• Step 10: HOW TO BRUSH MY DINOSAUR’S TEETH: At this level of play, the child causes three or more different actions in a row to happen to the same figure or doll, such as getting toothpaste, putting toothpaste on a toothbrush, and brushing the dinosaur’s teeth.

teach2talk™ Co-Founder Sarah Clifford Scheflen, M.S., CCC-SLP, developed the teach2play™ system based on her clinical experience, personal research into teaching play skills to children through video modeling, and peer reviewed research (reference Lifter, 1993 and Kasari, Freeman & Paparella 2001 & 2006).

We believe that you will find the teach2play™ system to be an effective tool to help your child or client learn developmentally–appropriate play skills.

In addition, if you have the time and inclination, you can be an active participant in helping your child or client make progress with their play skills using the teach2play™ system and our suggestions on best practices for use.