SPD and Pretend Play

For his birthday last year, R's godfather, my husband's best friend, got him the LeapReader in hopes that he will start reading and writing soon.  R loved it and started using it on the books that came with the present.  His interest in the books waned soon, but strangely enough, his interest in the pen didn't.

R has also been taking notice of the things my husband and I do, especially when we talk on the phone.  He even insists on being the one to hang up the calls on our cellphones.  So I wasn't too surprised when he started putting the pen to his ears, turning it on and off, then waving to it with a "buh-buh" (his word for "bye bye" which he has pretty much learned how to say for quite some time).

However, he totally surprised me last night when he was playing with the LeapReader.  He put it to his ear, and started to babble, as though he was making conversation.  This went on for a good 3 minutes.  And then, as if to end the conversation, I heard him say, "Ok.  Buh-buh."

It took a solid ten seconds to dawn on me that he was pretending.  He was actually pretending!

I know what you're thinking.  Why is this such a big deal?

Remember one of my older posts where I mentioned the 5 signs that a child is about to talk?  Well, I mentioned there that R only exhibits 4 of the 5.  The fifth is symbolic or pretend play.  Apparently, pretend play is an essential developmental milestone for a child to learn how to speak.

So how does pretend play affect speech?

Lack of pretend play by 24 months is actually a developmental red flag.  Believe it or not, checklists from SPD websites all list the lack of this as a concern that points to a diagnosis of SPD.

When we took R to the developmental pediatrician at almost 3 years old, one of the things she did was give R a tiny baby bottle and a doll.  She then asked him to feed the baby.  Obviously the ideal response is to put the bottle's teat to the doll's lips.

R didn't do that.

Instead he put the doll back on the table, and brought the bottle to his own lips.

At first, I didn't really see what the concern was all about.  R had never played with dolls, so I thought it was understandable that he wouldn't know how to play with one.  A lot of my friends and family members concurred with me on that.

But as time passed, and we stepped in occupational and speech therapy, I began to understand so much more why pretend play is so important.

This article from Scholastic lists down why that is so, and because I'm focused on how pretend play affects language skills, I will directly quote them in this aspect:

Language Skills
Have you ever listened in as your child engages in imaginary play with his toys or friends? You will probably hear some words and phrases you never thought he knew! In fact, we often hear our own words reflected in the play of children. Kids can do a perfect imitation of mom, dad, and the teacher! Pretend play helps your child understand the power of language. In addition, by pretend playing with others, he learns that words give him the means to reenact a story or organize play. This process helps your child to make the connection between spoken and written language — a skill that will later help him learn to read.

Sounds important!  No wonder R wasn't talking yet!  He was still grasping the power of language, and because language is in itself abstract and symbolic, pretend play was a way for him to explore such concepts.

Now, a recent study by the University of Virginia states that:

“We found no good evidence that pretend play contributes to creativity, intelligence or problem-solving,” Lillard said. “However, we did find evidence that it just might be a factor contributing to language, storytelling, social development and self-regulation.” 

She said it is often difficult for psychologists to separate whether children who engage in pretend play are already creative and imaginative, or if the pretend play, often encouraged by parents or teachers, actually promotes development.

“When you look at the research that has been done to test that, it comes up really short,” Lillard said. “It may be that we've been testing the wrong things; and it may well be that when a future experiment is really well done we may find something that pretend play does for development, but at this point these claims are all overheated. This is our conclusion from having really carefully read the studies.”

Lillard emphasized that various elements often present during pretend play – freedom to make choices and pursue one’s own interests, negotiation with peers and physical interaction with real objects – are valuable, especially with appropriate levels of adult guidance.

These conditions exist both in pretend play and in other playful preschool activities that encourage children to discover their own interests and talents, such as the method used in Montessori schools.

Pretend play is also important diagnostically for children between 18 months and 2 years old, Lillard said. A complete absence of pretend play among children of that narrow age range could indicate autism, and suggests that such children be evaluated for other signs of the neurological disorder.

Did you see what I emphasize in boldface there?  These are actually areas where R is struggling in.  His lack of verbal communication is actually a major cause of his meltdowns, thus a lack of self-regulation.  He's also slightly wary on interacting with other kids, as well as a lack of capability to tell us about his day.  This is why pretend play is so important!

It's funny at how we as adults dismiss things young children do as ordinary and inconsequential, when all the while, what they are doing is so essential to their growth and development.  Children really do learn through play, and it's our responsibility as the adults in their life to allow them to explore and experiment in order to enhance learning.  That said, of course this always has to be within the boundaries of safety, and as such we as parents have to be actively involved with our children.  R is my and my husband's son.  We're responsible for him, and we must fulfill that.  Because no one else is his daddy and mommy.

So yes, very happy that R is started to play pretend.  I'm hoping and praying that it won't be long and he starts talking and expressing himself.

If you'd like to know more about SPD and pretend play, you can read:

• How Can Sensory Processing Disorder Affect Pretend Play in Children?