AOTA

Authors:

Sergio Serrada-Tejeda, Teresa A. May-Benson, Anita Bundy, Sergio E. Santos-Del-Riego, M. Pilar Rodríguez-Pérez, Marta Pérez-de-Heredia-Torres 

Learning Objectives:

Following this course, the learner will be able to:

1. Explain how praxis difficulties in autistic children can impact early diagnosis and developmental milestones.
2. Recall the differences in test scores between autistic children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and those with typical development (TD).
3. Summarize the impact of ideational praxis on social participation skills and playfulness specifically for children in the ASD group.

Importance: Assessment of praxis skills is an essential aspect of understanding autistic children’s development of play and playfulness. 

Objective: To assess the relationship and influence of ideational praxis skills on play skills and playfulness among autistic children. 

Design: A cross-sectional study. Settings: Homes, schools, and early care centers across Spain. 

Participants: Children ages 4 yr 6 mo to 6 yr 11 mo (45 typically developing [TP] and 45 with autism spectrum disorder [ASD]). 

Outcomes and Measures: Student’s t tests were used to compare means between the two groups. Pearson’s correlation and multiple linear regression were used to determine possible effects of ideational skills on play and playfulness. Results: Scores for the TP group were significantly higher than those of the ASD group on all play dimensions— space management, t(88) 5 4.58; material management, t(88) 5 5.86; pretense–symbolism, t(88) 5 8.12; and participation, t(88) 5 7.31—and on the Test of Playfulness (ToP), t(88) 5 10.18, and Test of Ideational Praxis (TIP), t(88) 5 4.38 (all ps < .001). Multiple linear regression revealed a statistically significant effect of TIP dimensions— space management, F(3, 41) 5 4.83, p < .042; material management, F(3.41) 5 8.49. p < .001; pretense– symbolism, F(3, 41) 5 5.66. p < .002; and participation, F(3.41) 5 7.81. p < .001—and on the ToP, F(3, 41) 5 5.96. p < .002. 

Conclusions and Relevance: Ideational praxis skills combined with diagnostic information significantly predicted play skills and playfulness, highlighting the influence of ideation on play. 

Plain-Language Summary: This article provides data supporting the influence of ideational praxis skills on the play skills and playfulness of autistic children. Understanding how ideational praxis skills affect the ability to recognize and act on object affordances might promote greater possibilities for play interactions among autistic children. 

Serrada-Tejeda, S., May-Benson, T. A., Bundy, A., Santos-Del-Riego, S. E., Rodríguez-Pérez, M. P., & Pérez-de-Heredia-Torres, M. (2024). Ideational praxis, play, and playfulness: A cross-sectional study of autistic children. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 78, 7804185010. https:// doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2024.050397