Speaking of snow, I had a great time yesterday working with a 4 year-old child on the autism spectrum on generating novel descriptions and dialogue in pretend play. We had our Fisher Price little people out with a slide, some beds, a table and chairs and car. We started out going to the “playground” and he asked for a coat and gloves for his hands. I got out the Playdoh and he wrapped it around their shoulders and pinched a little bit on each hand. We added some hats and were ready to go outside and stay warm.
I simply added some props (a table and chairs) and suggested they come inside for a snack. He repeated some of my dialogue but entered in with “Let’s go inside,” as he took off their coats, hats and mittens. Now the green Playdoh was available for rolling hot dogs and making hamburgers. I set down some plastic cups and he offered his figure a drink of lemonade. After we finished our snack the bus arrived to take the kids home. We shortened our day as I set out 2 beds and the boy and girl got ready for bed, pulling up a blanket of… you guessed it, Playdoh.
