Where Have All the Players Gone

Abstract This paper examines the relationship of play and language to the development of the sense of self. The value of playful, affectively charged interchanges between caregivers and children is highlighted. This developmental framework gives guidelines to diagnose where children may be on the play continuum. For children who seem developmentally delayed in terms of language and play, an intervention model is proposed which parallels the playful interventions good parents use to enhance the optimal self-development of their children.