Play therapy with learning disabled children

Abstract

While play therapy has been an accepted treatment for years for children with emotional disturbances, it has not been as widely employed for children with adjustment difficulties secondary to primary disorders of an essentially physical origin. In recent years, children with learning disabilities, hyperactivity syndrome, physical handicaps, and mild retardation have been receiving play therapy conducted by their parents, with positive results, at The Individual and Family Consultation Center of The Pennsylvania State University. Concentration on the deficits created by the primary problem seems to result frequently in overlooking other essential components of the development of the learning disabled. Parents serving as play therapists, can promote the parent‐child relationship, reduce their own considerable stress, and improve their children's behavior.

This paper presents a description and rationale for the use of Filial Therapy by clinicians interested in dimensions of child and parent development beyond those related only to learning deficits.