Do your kids "play"?

[Ericsmomma]

I've noticed that Eric doesn't "play", except with computerized toys (leappads, spiderman computer, etc.) books, and his beloved stuffed Sesame Street character dolls (he makes them dance, sit, sleep, and kisses them). I've bought Bob the Builder stuff, cars,
little people houses, farms, etc. but he isn't into them. The same went for school playtime when he was integrated with "regular" preschoolers. They (the typical kids) would play with the stove,
doll house, etc. but Eric would read a book instead. He loves music....dances and tries to sing along, and he's a video/DVD
junkie. but to just "play" with toys....nah.
Does anybody else see this with their child?

[Chris]

Sarah is pretty much the same as Eric. She will play "tea party" if an adult will play with her. I have seen her pretend she is a dog but really has to be encouraged to do imaginative play. She really prefers to dangle object, bang on things, look at books, play her keyboard or throw her toys over the baby gate .

She will play with legos if an adult sits with her. She eats play dough, colors for about 10 seconds, will do a puzzle with encouragement. It is difficult because she doesn't entertain herself very well without being destructive. She does love to help me clean or put away the groceries. She also loves to play with our animals and is always gentle.

Sarah has just begun to play with some of her classmates in her CI class. She is becoming buddies with a really cute little girl with Ds. This little girl is much more verbal than Sarah and always sings. Sarah is becoming more verbal and starting to TRY to sing, too. It is so cute.

The one blessing about her lack of interest in toys is that we don't have a ton of Barbie dolls and all the stuff that goes with them. Hoorah!!! My older daughter was a Barbie fanatic and I was thrilled the day she decided to get rid of all the Barbie stuff. ;D

I almost forgot.........Sarah's favorite Christmas toy is a recorder (flute) that I got for free at a music teacher's inservice at my school. She will blow on it and dance around. She is just adorable!

Chris

[momofrussell]

nope... not really.. not at all. Russell doesn't "pretend" play or use toys appropriately for the most part. I LOVE when my kids started to pretend play and I wish Russell did... but to be honest, I don't know if he will ever or that much.

A.

[Emilysmom]

Dolly,
One thing I found with Emily was that she needed to literally be "taught" to play! Where her brothers could be given a kitchen set and they would almost automatically begin to imitate what they had seen me doing in the kitchen, Emily really needed for us to sit down with her and the kitchen set and show her how to play. Little by little, we'd see her pretending more.
Susan

[Cathy]

my little stinker does play... not for long periods of time. She will take her dolls to the kitchen and put them in the high chair and feed them, puts them on the potty. Her favorite is phones. Any kind, she will hold on conversations with the person on the other end (usually her Nany) and always say "okay, I love you! BYE BYE" when she is done.

She is so bad that when I tell her NO OREOS, she will get her stuffed dog, whisper in its ear, and then comes back and say "My dog hungry, he needs OREO"

Yes, she uses her imagination.

LOL.. Gotta love her

Hugs,

Cathy

[Claire]

Adam will play pretend like making food or talking on the phone, but I have never seen him initiate play yet. If a kid comes to him he may play for a few minutes then prefers to do his own thing. The only time I was amazed is when a friend of mine who also has a son with DS same age as Adam were actually babbling together like they understood each other and actually and a fight for the same toy.

[Kristin]

Clarice's favorite play is in her kitchen out in her playhouse. Clarice does not do imaginative play where she makes up stories with dolls, but she does imitate chefs and pretends to cook. Clarice and her sister like to dress up and dance to music. She plays with dolls, but still has a hard time making up a story. Most of her play is imitating real life, or something she has seen on television.

[ALLISA]

SAdly, no.....there is very little that Erin plays with....buying toys for her is hard.....

She likes toys that vibrate or play music. The purpose of most toys seems to be throwing or fliiping. She is however VERY physical and likes to climb, swing, or hang for HOURS on end.

I do see emerging skills....she "talks" on the phone, she pretends to eat with a bowl and spoon. She will do simple puzzles.....but only if an adult is RIGHT with her....and honestly....she looks like she is doing a task...not enjoying it.

[Jackie]

I tend to agree with Susan about "teaching " play. Trying to remember all those years ago with Emily is a bit hard...but seems to me that I had to help her out with her playing, too. There was a six year gap between her and David so she had no Sibs to model play after really. But I do remember she had a room full of well worn toys so she must have played with some of them.

Like many of our kids she did like to put things in things...like her shopping cart...and wheel them around...same with dolls in her stroller. She also like arts and crafts type play. One reason play came hard for her was she didn't have a bunch of peers constantly over at our house or wasn't at their house all the time like most non disabled kids are. She had plenty of peers in her life but mostly at planned events like bluebirds and birthday parties where no one is really doing any creative play.

However she did spend several years in regular preschool settings where she was the only one with a disability and I think that helped.

Jackie mom to Emily 26

[cindylou]

One of the things the therapists told me when Kaylee was a baby was that she would have no imagination and wouldn't be able to participate in make-believe games.

We have always had tons of "typical" peers around and she has always participated fully in make believe games of "house" or barbie games. They play games of wild horses outside and she has played that with them.

It has helped that her little sis is just 2 years younger---she's been a great role model for Kaylee-
cindy

[Debbie]

I played with my younger sister. We would run and she would
of course tell me what to do. I just didn't really play with other children very well but I did play games with the neighborhood children. That was fun! I was shy and a little slow on rules to a game and such. I sometimes didn't understand the rules or wasn't sure how to play like how the other children did. I did enjoy playing by myself though. As an older child, I tended to be drawn to books, art and music. I loved "pretend" it was fun to be someone else or something.

[CC]

When Chris was little OMG he did not play with anything just THREW everything from pile to pile His favorite thing to due with anything was just throw things BUT I will say Man does he have one heck of a pitch in ball and d**n good aim making baskets in basket ball now ;D He certainly had years of practice LOLOL He also was and honestly still is very big on lining up all his toys. He really seems to enjoy lining them up more then actually playing with them but then again to him its his way of playing with them I guess

He loves to due things but honestly he would rather due them alone. The kids in our neighbor hood I will have to say have been very nice BUT Chris just loses interest and wants, least it appears to go off and due his thing.

OMG he LOVES Nintendo and is d**n good at it too. He loves to shoot baskets, ride his bike, take long walks, ice skate... but he really would rather just due alone

Just in the last few years he will join in with the kids at school for play but only if they come and ask him, which they do thankfully but he will never ever be the one to iniate (sp?) it

We work on this with Chris lots but for him and just talking bout him, I think lots has to due with the ASD part of him, KWIM

CC ~

[ALLISA]

Yes...I agree...if throwing was an Olympic Event...Erin would have all Golds.....

[Jessie]

Well, ditto CC's post about Chris - that's exactly how Jason is. He loves to line up his toys still and prefers to play alone after being with other kids for awhile. He loves to shoot hoops, etc.

Now, what he is thinking or imagining when he is crashing his dinosaurs or action figures together, I really have no idea!

Little funny here. For some reason he kind of is obsessed with Superman even though up until the other night he had not seen any of the Superman movies. For Christmas, on a totally impulsive move, we bought him this big Superman doll (about 2' high) and we were cracking up saying that was going to be his favorite gift. Yes, he was excited . . . see picture below.

The funny part was after we watched the latest Superman movie the other night and he had went to bed, Brian went to check on him and he had this big Superman doll laying on top of him. Guess he felt safter with Superman protecting him. I think Brian was a tad uneasy that his son was willing to sleep with his Superman doll like that . . . he wouldn't let me take a picture! LOL

[hidyperson]

What does his shirt say ?