Symbolic Play and Language Acquisition: The Dynamics of Infant-Caretaker Communication during Symbolic Play

Infant symbolic play and language acquisition have long been linked. While both activities are inherently social and their acquisition is typically scaffolded by a competent other (Vygotsky, 1978), most studies investigating the symbolic play-language link have considered it in contexts of solitary play. This thesis examines the dynamic nature of the relationship in a semi-naturalistic setting. Fifty-two infant-caretaker dyads engaged in a 20-minute play session that manipulated play type through the use of different toy sets (symbolic versus non-symbolic). Study 1 showed that play contexts influenced language: in symbolic play, infants spoke more and their language and interactions were more complex. CDS was more interactionally demanding (more questions and mimetics) in symbolic play, while in non-symbolic play it was more directive (imperatives and naming). Study 2 established that conversational turn dynamics patterns differed: there were more conversational turns in symbolic play, turn transitions were longer, and infants were more likely to control entire turn sequences. Study 3 demonstrated that symbolic play allowed for greater and richer content alignment: there were more semantic repetitions and infants were more likely to choose the topic of conversation than their parents. Study 4 revealed more complex and demanding epistemic exchanges of information in symbolic play: infants were more likely to inform, assert, and build on previous information when they spoke. Parents were more likely to actively engage the infants in symbolic play by seeking or requesting information, but the ambiguity of symbolic play also meant that it was more difficult for participants to understand each other. When combined, the results of these four studies suggest that symbolic play is a challenging but communicatively rich environment for infants' language development, constituting a zone of proximal development deriving from the need to establish shared intentionality during interaction

Increasing “Object-Substitution” Symbolic Play in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may not develop symbolic play skills so such skills need to be taught specifically. We report an experiment regarding a procedure targeting “object-substitution” symbolic play skills. The “object-substitution” symbolic play behavior occurred when the child labeled a common object with the name of a substitute and used the object to perform a play action (e.g., As she put a bowl on her head, she called it a hat). A multiple probe across behaviors design was employed with five children (four boys and one girl, aged 3 to 6) with ASD. All children had verbal communication and demonstrated functional play and generalized imitation, but no symbolic play skills prior to the study. The instruction consisted of intraverbal training, picture prompts, and modeling of play actions. All children demonstrated object-substitution symbolic play skills after the instruction. The occurrences of response generalization were also discussed

Language, Play, and Toy Sharing in Infancy

Toy sharing between 97 Infants and their mothers was used to measure shared reference, mother and infant attention-directing strategies, and maternal and infant responsiveness. The association of toy sharing with early language and symbolic play was assessed. Infants were videotaped in a 10-minute free-play session at 11 months. Videotapes were coded for frequency of toy exchanges and level of infant symbolic play. Language was assessed at both 11 and 14 months. Maternal responsiveness to infant-initiated toy exchanges was positively related to symbolic play at 11 months. Maternal responsiveness was also related to Productive, Receptive, and Total Language scores at 14 months. Symbolic play at 11 months and language at 11 and 14 months were associated, suggesting underlying cognitive abilities associated with language and play development. Results support the notion that shared reference, maternal responsiveness, and underlying infant cognitive abilities are important components of a context where scaffolding of language and symbolic play can occur

Teaching “Imaginary Objects” Symbolic Play to Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Symbolic play skills are important in language acquisition and child development. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have difficulties demonstrating such play behaviors. Imaginary objects symbolic play refers to play behavior in which children perform play actions without actual objects. Three boys with ASD (3-7 years) participated in this study. A multiple-probe across three participants and two settings design was employed to evaluate the effects of intraverbal training on the acquisition and generalization of imaginary objects symbolic play. Results indicated that all children acquired and maintained target imaginary objects play activities. Generalization to untaught activities occurred in one child. All three children’ symbolic play emerged or increased in free play after the instruction

The Importance of Symbolic Play as a Component of the Early Childhood Curriculum

Educational research has linked the quality of early childhood education programs to a reduction in special education enrollment and later academic success (Smith, 2004). High quality programs offer curriculums with academics and socialization. Russian developmental psychologist and social constructivist, Lev Vygotsky, believed culture and social interaction guide cognitive development. He, also, suggested that play stimulates the development of abstract thought (Santrock, 2006). The purpose of this literature review was to determine the importance of Symbolic play as an early childhood curriculum component for the development of cognitive and social skills. Rubin (as cited in Umek & Musek, 2001) identified role enactment as the highest level of symbolic play. Studies revealed that while engaged in symbolic play, children learn to negotiate, self-regulate, and solve tasks. During the preschool years, children will naturally engage in symbolic play. Providing a developmentally appropriate curriculum can ensure opportunities for academic and social enhancement during pretend play. By utilizing symbolic play as a curriculum component, teachers can observe students, obtain information, diagnose potential problems, and assist them

Symbolic play among children with autism spectrum disorder: a scoping review

Symbolic play is considered an early indicator in the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and its assessment. The objective of this study was to analyze the difficulties in symbolic play experienced by children with ASD and to determine the existence of differences in symbolic play among children with ASD, children with other neurodevelopmental disorders and children with typical development. A scoping review was carried out in the Web of Science (WoS), Scopus, ERIC, and PsycInfo databases, following the extension for scoping reviews of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. The number of papers included in the review was 22. The results confirm that children with ASD have greater difficulties with symbolic play than children with other neurodevelopmental disorders and children with typical development, even when controlling for their verbal age. Difficulties are greater in situations of free or spontaneous play. Results evidenced that the absence or deficiency in the symbolic play can serve as an early indicator of ASD between the first and second year of life, the developmental moment in which this type of play begins

Symbolic play provides a fertile context for language development

In this study we test the hypothesis that symbolic play represents a fertile context for language acquisition because its inherent ambiguity elicits communicative behaviours that positively influence development. Infant-caregiver dyads (N = 54) participated in two 20-minute play sessions six months apart (Time 1 = 18 months, Time 2 = 24 months). During each session the dyads played with two sets of toys that elicited either symbolic or functional play. The sessions were transcribed and coded for several features of dyadic interaction and speech; infants’ linguistic proficiency was measured via parental report. The two play contexts resulted in different communicative and linguistic behaviour. Notably, the symbolic play condition resulted in significantly greater conversational turn-taking than functional play, and also resulted in the greater use of questions and mimetics in infant-directed speech (IDS). In contrast, caregivers used more imperative clauses in functional play. Regression analyses showed that unique properties of symbolic play (i.e., turn-taking, yes-no questions, mimetics) positively predicted children’s language proficiency, whereas unique features of functional play (i.e., imperatives in IDS) negatively predicted proficiency. The results provide evidence in support of the hypothesis that symbolic play is a fertile context for language development, driven by the need to negotiate meaning