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USE OF PLAY MATERIALS IN TREATING A SEVERELY HANDICAPPED CHILD
Author(s) -
SALOMON MARION KERNER,
GARNER ANN M.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
child: care, health and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.832
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1365-2214
pISSN - 0305-1862
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2214.1978.tb00872.x
Subject(s) - intervention (counseling) , play therapy , psychology , object (grammar) , perception , developmental psychology , psychotherapist , psychiatry , computer science , artificial intelligence , neuroscience
Summary A 4‐year‐old boy with a physical handicap severe enough to preclude his manipulating materials, participated in a play intervention designed to help him to deal with some of his limitations. His skill in communicating to the therapist and in utilizing vicarious experiences allowed him to participate fully and successfully in therapy, although several modifications had to be made in the usual play procedures. The basic techniques of play therapy may therefore be of use to other motorically handicapped children who are capable of verbalizing and fantasizing. During the course of the therapy, this child also evidenced some unusual perceptions of the world. The lack of opportunity to have the customary sensorimotor experiences had apparently delayed his development of object permanence. This finding is consistent with Piaget's theory, which emphasized early motoric behaviours as prerequisites to later intellectual operations.