{"title":"On the Meanings of Functional Play: A Review and Clarification of Definitions","authors":"Jeevita Sidhu, N. Barlas, Karin Lifter","doi":"10.1177/0271121420951859","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"The term functional play is used widely and variably in serving young children who have developmental delays, affecting its use in research and practice. It also is confused with play as a functional goal. We reviewed studies that used the term. Of 146 reports, less than half included a definition. We organized those with definitions into two groups: one in terms of appropriate use of toys and the other in terms of motor activities. We conclude that the toy-directed focus subsumed in appropriate use is subject to wide variation in interpretation, and it should not be used as a category of play. It does not explicitly take into account children’s developmental progress in play. We recommend the term should be reserved for activities that support engagement and interest. Such activities represent play as functional for a child, requiring an understanding of children’s progress in play, which is play that is child-focused.","PeriodicalId":47496,"journal":{"name":"Topics in Early Childhood Special Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.0000,"publicationDate":"2020-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/0271121420951859","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Topics in Early Childhood Special Education","FirstCategoryId":"95","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0271121420951859","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"EDUCATION, SPECIAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The term functional play is used widely and variably in serving young children who have developmental delays, affecting its use in research and practice. It also is confused with play as a functional goal. We reviewed studies that used the term. Of 146 reports, less than half included a definition. We organized those with definitions into two groups: one in terms of appropriate use of toys and the other in terms of motor activities. We conclude that the toy-directed focus subsumed in appropriate use is subject to wide variation in interpretation, and it should not be used as a category of play. It does not explicitly take into account children’s developmental progress in play. We recommend the term should be reserved for activities that support engagement and interest. Such activities represent play as functional for a child, requiring an understanding of children’s progress in play, which is play that is child-focused.
期刊介绍:
Topics in Early Childhood Special Education (TECSE) communicates information about early intervention, which is defined broadly and includes services provided to (a) infants, toddlers, and preschoolers who are at risk for or display developmental delays and disabilities and (b) the families of such youngsters. TECSE includes articles on personnel preparation, policy issues, and operation of intervention programs. The intent is to publish information that will improve the lives of young children and their families. Manuscripts from (a) diverse theoretical perspectives, (b) all disciplines related to early intervention, and (c) all authors with information of value to the early intervention community are welcome. There are two topical issues—which address an identified problem, trend, or subject of concern and importance to early intervention—and two non-topical issues.