Autplay
AutPlay® Therapy
AutPlay® Therapy was created by Dr. Robert Jason Grant and is a play and behavioural therapy approach to working with neurodiverse children and families. It integrates play and behavioural therapeutic models along with relationships developed together in a collaborative way to assist children and adolescents in gaining new skills. AutPlay Therapy is a combination of behavioural and developmental methodology that can be therapist-led, parent-led, and/or child-led.
AutPlay® Therapy has Shown Effective Treatment Outcomes for the Following Areas:
- Increasing Emotional Regulation Ability
- Improving Social Skills and Functioning
- Improving Relationship Development and Connection
- Reducing Anxiety Levels
- Improving Sensory Processing Challenges
- Increasing Concentration, Focus, and Attention
- Reducing Unwanted Behaviors
- Improving the Parent/Child Relationship
AutPlay® Therapy incorporates a combination of structured play therapy interventions, behavioural approaches, and relationship development to improve skill deficits in the areas of emotional regulation, social functioning, and relationship connection. When children can learn to self-regulate, possess social skills that relate to the environments they are asked to function in, and learn appropriate and meaningful relationship connections, they are less likely to have behavioural issues and more likely to function in their day-to-day environment successfully.
AutPlay Therapy is an integrative family play therapy approach incorporating a parent training component which values parents as co-change agents and teaches parents how to implement structured playtimes and structured play therapy interventions at home. Parents learn the procedures and techniques and are shown how to implement interventions at home to increase skill and ability levels in their child. AutPlay Therapy involves both the child and the parent in the therapeutic process and uses a play therapy base that is not only a natural language of the child but enables the parent to be involved with their child in a way that teaches skills and increases abilities within a positive and connecting process.
There are many nervous systems, sensory, dysregulation, and metabolic neurodevelopmental disorders that exist. Many neurodevelopmental disorders have no cure, but there are ways to treat the symptoms that present with neurodevelopmental disorders. AutPlay Therapy has been successful in improving AutPlay target areas in children and adolescents with many neurodevelopmental and dysregulation issues including:
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Fragile X Syndrome
- Sensory Processing Challenges
- Intellectual Developmental Disorder
- Cerebral Palsy
- Social Pragmatic Communication Disorder
- Tourette Syndrome
- Learning Disorders
- Social Disorders
- impulsive Disorders
Information for Parents
AutPlay® Therapy is a play therapy and behavioural therapy based treatment approach for working with children and adolescents affected by autism spectrum disorder and other neurodevelopmental disorders.
AutPlay protocol is designed to identify and increase skill deficits and functioning levels in children and adolescents with developmental delays. Typical treatment involves using structured play therapy interventions designed to build relationships, increase engagement, and strengthen skill deficits.
In AutPlay Therapy, parents participate equally in therapy with their children and become co-change agents with the therapist in helping their children develop needed skills. AutPlay® Therapy incorporates a parent training component that teaches parents how to conduct structured play therapy interventions at home. The therapist is training the parents to do structured play therapy interventions at home with their child.
These interventions are typically chosen by the therapist (although parents can participate in choosing interventions) as interventions to use to help develop skill deficits in the six target areas covered in AutPlay; emotional regulation ability, social skills development, connection, sensory processing struggles, anxiety, and behavioural challenges. The Therapist continues to meet with parents and train parents in implementing the interventions at home until treatment goals have been met.
Parent training sessions may cover some level of behaviour modification approaches. This might include teaching parents how to set up a weekly visual schedule for their child.
To enquire about our AutPlay® Therapy, contact our Counsellors and Psychologists at our South East Melbourne location in Moorabbin or our centre in Yarraville.
