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. 2008 May;38(5):857-66.
doi: 10.1007/s10803-007-0454-5.

Play behavior and attachment in toddlers with autism

Fabiënne B A Naber  1 , Marian J Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marinus H van Ijzendoorn, Sophie H N Swinkels, Jan K Buitelaar, Claudine Dietz, Emma van Daalen, Herman van Engeland
Affiliations

Play behavior and attachment in toddlers with autism

Fabiënne B A Naber et al. J Autism Dev Disord. 2008 May.

Abstract

Play helps to develop social skills. Children with autism show deviances in their play behavior that may be associated with delays in their social development. In this study, we investigated manipulative, functional and symbolic play behavior of toddlers with and without autism (mean age: 26.45, SD 5.63). The results showed that the quality of interaction between the child and the caregiver was related to the development of play behavior. In particular, security of attachment was related to better play behavior. When the developmental level of the child is taken into account, the attachment relationship of the child with the caregiver at this young age is a better predictor of the level of play behavior than the child's disorder.

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Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Secure and disorganized attachment and mean level of play in children with ASD
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