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‘Let Them’: Using Play Schemas to Build Learning Through Play for Autistic Children
- Dr. Jamie
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
In the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), we begin with a simple but powerful stance: let them. If a child wants to line up toys, let them. If they want to fill and dump containers, spin wheels, stack blocks, or open and close doors, let them. These patterns are not “wrong” or “empty.” They are authentic expressions of how that child is exploring their world. Autistic play is real play. It is meaningful to the child, even when it doesn’t look like adult-defined “functional” or “pretend” play.
When I truly let young autistic children play, I start to see patterns. These patterns are called play schemas—repeated ways children explore ideas like movement, connection, space, and change. When a child lines up toys, runs back and forth, spins objects, or fills and dumps containers, I don’t see “stimming” or “nonfunctional behavior.” I see meaningful exploration of how the world works.
Some of the play schemas I look for include:
Connecting – joining objects together (lining up cars, stacking, linking blocks)
Trajectory – watching things move (throwing, rolling, dropping, sliding)
Enclosure/Containment – putting things in and taking them out (fill/dump, hide/find)
Rotation – spinning wheels, lids, bodies, or objects
Transporting – carrying objects from place to place
Positioning – arranging objects in rows, patterns, or symmetrical layouts
In my ESDM and NDBI work, I don’t try to stop these schemas—I use them. A play schema is the child’s motivation engine. When I build learning goals inside that engine, learning happens naturally. But “let them” does not mean “leave them alone.” In ESDM, we honor the child’s ideas and then build with them. Their play is the doorway—not the destination.
If an autistic child is in a connecting schema, lining up cars or blocks, I might join the line and:
Model communication like “wow,” “up,” or “so big.”
Build turn-taking by adding together
Add concepts like colors, numbers, or big/little
Introduce one small, playful variation
If an autistic child is in a trajectory schema, throwing or rolling:
I build routines like “Ready… set… go!”
Pause to invite a look, gesture, or word
Support joint attention through shared looks
Add imitation by copying each other
This is shared control. The child leads with their interests. I follow—but also shape. I’m not a passive observer, and I’m not a director. I’m a partner. I join their play, add myself to it, and gently stretch it into a joint activity routine where communication, connection, thinking, and flexibility can grow.
I don’t replace the child’s play with my idea of play. I keep the heart of what they are doing and wrap learning around it:-I add communication. -I add turn-taking.- I add shared joy.
When I look at play through this lens, I stop asking, “How do I get them to play the right way?” and start asking, “How do I build learning inside the way they already play?” We don’t erase autistic play—we expand it. We don’t control it—we coconstruct with it. And through that collaboration, children grow not by being redirected away from who they are, but by being supported to grow from exactly where they are.
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Ready to Support Young Autistic Children Through Play?
If you want to learn how to:
Recognize play schemas like connecting, trajectory, rotation, and enclosure
Turn repetitive play into joyful joint activity routines
Embed communication, social skills, and learning into child-led play
Use shared control instead of control or passivity
Then explore our tools, guides, and resources designed to help you put this into practice.
Play Schemas Resource Bundle
Our Play Schemas Resource Bundle empowers educators, parents, and caregivers to unlock the potential of play by harnessing children's innate schemas, offering tailored play experiences that encourage exploration and skill development.
Inventory of Play Patterns
The Inventory of Play Patterns (IPP) form is a 10-page document designed to help providers and parents identify play schemas to help increase a child's motivation during play and everyday activities. The rating scales are developed to help identify a child's interests across seven different play schemas (e.g., rotating, trajection, enveloping, positioning, transporting, connecting, and enclosing).
Online Professional Development (CEU) Course
Earn 2 Learning CEUs for BACB, QABA, and IBAO certificants. Other professionals receive a professional development completion certificate.
Infants and young children often engage in self-stimulating behaviors; however, as they age and mature, these behaviors start to decline and are replaced by other activities (e.g., playing with toys and social interactions). Learn how to 'reframe' the autistic child's special interests and self-stimulatory behaviors as play schemas to better support social engagement and communication with others.
Enhance your learning experience with our downloadable course resource guide, packed with supplemental information, actionable strategies, and practical tools to support your implementation of course concepts.
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