An investigation of the pretend play abilities of children with an acquired brain injury

Abstract

Introduction: This study describes the self-initiated pretend play abilities of children who had sustained an acquired brain injury. Method: A non-experimental study was conducted with 26 children with acquired brain injury (15 females, mean age 5.08 years, SD 1.58 years), who were out of post-traumatic amnesia, able to sit independently and engage in a play session. The children were assessed individually on one occasion using the Child-Initiated Pretend Play Assessment. Findings: All children in the study presented with pretend play deficits, particularly in symbolic play. Inattention, distractibility and limited concentration were common behaviours of the children. Three quarters of the sample (76.48%) were unable to complete the time of the assessment. For many of the children the cessation of their play was sudden and abrupt, even for those who showed complex play ability. Conclusion: Cognitive fatigue is argued to have impacted on the children's play ability due to the considerable amount of cognitive effort required to engage in pretend play. Implications for intervention are to offer short sessions for children with acquired brain injury and pay particular attention to a child's symbolic play within pretend play ability.

Pretend play ability in preschool‐aged children with an acquired brain injury

“…Play does not seem to have been given consideration in ABI rehabilitation for children (Dunford et al, 2013), despite the universal claim of its importance to childhood. The results of this study supported the hypothesis and concurred with the findings of Dooley et al (2019) and Fink et al (2012).…”

“…This means the play was disjointed and disorganised, in particular elaborate play with unstructured materials and substituting objects was significantly below expected range for age. Both Fink et al (2012) and Dooley et al (2019) observed the children in their studies were not able to play for the time required in the assessment and lacked organisation in their play.…”

“…The probability of disability following an ABI is high (90%, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2004) and likely to be persistent spanning a wide range of developmental areas. These include fine motor, gross motor (Recla et al, 2019), social skills (Ryan, van Bijnen, et al, 2016), cognitive deficits (Anderson et al, 2011;Recla et al, 2019), sleep-wake disturbances (Botchway et al, 2019), and play (Dooley et al, 2019;Fink et al, 2012). Anderson et al (2011) postulated that in Paediatric ABI, there is a complex interplay between the developmental vulnerability of the young brain and its potential to adapt to learning and the environment.…”

“…There is emerging evidence that children with an ABI have deficits in their pretend play ability (Dooley et al, 2019;Fink et al, 2012). In their respective studies, Dooley et al (2019) studied 26 children with an ABI from 3 to 7 years of age, and Fink et al (2012) studied three children aged 3-6 years with an ABI.…”

“…There is emerging evidence that children with an ABI have deficits in their pretend play ability (Dooley et al, 2019;Fink et al, 2012). In their respective studies, Dooley et al (2019) studied 26 children with an ABI from 3 to 7 years of age, and Fink et al (2012) studied three children aged 3-6 years with an ABI. Both studies found that when assessed by the Child Initiated Pretend Play Assessment (ChIPPA, Stagnitti, 2007), a significant portion of the children had decreased ability to produce elaborate actions of pretend play.…”