pre-conference reflections

Pre-Autism Conference
Reflections
Tomorrow I will attend Pamela Wolf berg’s seminar on integrated play groups with neurotypical and autistic children.  This is an interest that I have nurtured for the last 2 years.  During my student teaching I took advantage of having Adrianna Schuler as my advisor and began an Integrated Play Group under her supervision. 

I bought Pam’s book Peer Play and the Autism Spectrum. The Art of Guiding Children's Socialization and Imagination, and used it with great ease.  This is one of the most successful program implementation guide books in my experience. Pam provides case studies, vignettes, observation forms, and lists that are immediate, easy to use and well organized.  I was able to pick up this book, read through the first few easy to digest chapters and form a solid foundation for both defending the need for playgroups, as well as initiating the process of setting up a play group.   Dr. Schuler loaned me video’s of Pam demonstrating Play Groups in action, generated in the 1980’s to train other professionals to organize and run their own play groups. I was also able to begin assessing children in play, observing their play preferences, and their social play style.  All of these were crucial steps toward setting up a meaningful play group experience for the children I invited to participate.

Positive Points regarding this book:

• A how-to field manual/guide

1. Blueprint for an effective program
2. Exceptionally well thought out and easy to follow/implement
3. Innovative
4. Full of rich techniques applicable to wide variety of children
5. Versatile
6. Easy to read (font, print size, illustrations)
7. Based on extensive research
8. "...operationalizing seemingly intuitive classroom-based pre-intentional 'hunches' not a formalized, research able training format" (Adriana Schuler)
9. Contains Design tools for easy use: environmental design, rules, selecting materials, designing play area, designing play schedules, developing opening and closing rituals, fostering a group identity
10. Assessment and observation forms
11. Detailed profile of individual play development
12. Many examples, case studies, vignettes, case illustrations
13. Monitoring play initiations
14. Scaffolding play
15. Social communication and guidance
16. Play guidance