Now, being, occupational: Outdoor play and children with autism

ABSTRACT

Play is the primary occupation of children and the right for children to play has been acknowledged internationally, for all children, including those with disabilities. However, there is concern that outdoor play is declining, thus warranting more focused investigation to better understand the evolving nature of outdoor play. The purpose of this study was to explore the outdoor play occupations and environments of children with autism, to understand the place of outdoor play in their lives. A qualitative methodology was used, drawing from ethnographic principles. Eight participants were recruited from one primary school in Ireland; five children with autism aged six-to-nine, and three staff members. Multiple methods were employed, including interviews, picture elicitation, observations, and behavioural mapping. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data and three core themes identified, relating to play form, play environments, and play challenge. Children with autism in this study enjoyed many forms of outdoor play. Their preferences were for active play with varied sensory elements including running, jumping, swinging, climbing, and sliding. Play occupations with opportunities for challenge, mastery, and engagement in risky play were particularly favoured, alongside preferences for imaginative play, play with natural components, and social interaction. Play engagement was most evident in environments with higher play value. This work contributes to a reconceptualization of the study of play occupation as a focus on the ‘now’ of childhood. By focusing on being and not becoming, we argue for rejecting a deficit model in favour of a rights-based occupational justice perspective to emancipate play.

KEYWORDS:

• Occupational science
• Flow
• Occupational justice
• Play spaces
• School environments

Acknowledgments

We thank all those who contributed to this study; the guidance we received has been invaluable. To the children and school staff who contributed to this work and shared their experiences with us, we express our deepest gratitude. We appreciate the support and guidance of Amabel de los Angeles and Maeve Coughlan, who acted as the gatekeepers in this study. Finally, we sincerely thank the Head Occupational Therapy Manager, Mary Sharkey, for her continued support for the University-Community Research Initiative programme, UCC.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The term Autism, as opposed to Autism Spectrum Disorder, is used throughout this study. This is done in order to take the emphasis away from dysfunction and to align with the language currently used in the Irish Autism Community (As I Am, 2019).

2 The buddy bench is a bench located in the schoolyard on which a child can sit if they have no one to play with. It signals to other children that the child would like a play partner.