The use of games in therapy is a novel way to quickly establish rapport and engage with clients that might otherwise resist the therapeutic process. Importantly, games intrinsically include elements of challenge, rules and turn taking and can be seen as a step up from play, which is typically unstructured, spontaneous and without purpose (Csikszentmihalzi, 1976; Erickson, 1950; Garvey, 1977). Occupational Therapists and Rehabilitation Consultants have long been aware of these advantages in the use of games to engage with clients and often use tabletop games as a way to help clients with a physical and/or mental disability improve their perceptual, cognitive, sensory and fine motor skills (Neistadt, McAuley, Zecha, & Shannon, 1993).
Children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often display difficulty in learning age-appropriate play and social interaction skills through normal exposure. Instead, children and adolescents with ASD have been observed to respond better to interventions with more structure, rules and turn taking (Lifter, Mason, & Barton, 2012; Malone & Langone, 1999). Therefore, therapeutically oriented games provide the perfect opportunity to target specific developmental outcomes whilst engaging with children and adolescents with ASD that is fun and entertaining.
The customizability of the game process also provides the perfect template to customise and therefore target specific developmental outcomes. Games can be chosen and customised in a variety of manners, enabling the therapy session to target outcomes such as expressive or receptive communication, fine or gross motor skills, perception, cognitive function and emotional regulation (Neistadt, McAuley, Zecha, & Shannon, 1993).
Lego® therapy is a therapy that can be used for all children, but has been shown to have specific benefits for those with ASD. The therapy has clear rules and procedures that are outlined from the start, which makes the process simpler and easier to follow for those with ASD. The therapy itself focuses on turn taking, group work, fine motor skills and can be tailored to promote expressive or receptive communication or both, depending on the roles that are taken. It is also possible to use the therapy to promote emotion identification and regulation, it can basically be transformed into a traditional play therapy where the Lego® models become the “dolls” that are used in the play therapy space.
Minecraft therapy is similar to Lego® therapy, however the focus is more clearly on communication skills, teamwork and social skill development. Minecraft therapy is also believed to be a way of fostering emotional regulation.
Lego® and Minecraft therapies can be one-on-one with a therapist or in group formats with peers, fostering and enabling social interaction. WARRI is working alongside PsychMed to research and conduct Lego® and Minecraft therapies for children with ASD in South Australia.
References:
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1976). What play says about behavior. Ontario Psychologist, 8(2), 5-11.
Erikson, E. (1950). Childhood and society. New York, NY: W. W. Norton.
Garvey, C. (1977). Play. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Neistadt, M. E., McAuley, D., Zecha, D., & Shannon, R. (1993). An analysis of a board game as a treatment activity. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 47(2), 154-160.