Perception of Parents in Using Messy Play in Sensory Based Interventions

Abstract

Background: The word messy is often given negative meanings and calling an important aspect of play 'messy' can lead to it being undervalued. Messy play involve children using all their senses in the process of exploration especially the sense of touch offering children plenty of opportunity to mould and manipulate materials not having a focus on making or producing something. Objectives: To explore the perception of parents in regard to messy play questionnaire filled by Occupational Therapist who works with Parents of children having Autism Spectrum Disorder. Study Design: Survey method Methods: 30 Occupational Therapist who are working in an Early Intervention Centre across Delhi, have filled a questionnaire about “Perception of Parents about Messy Play in Sensory Based Programs”. The questionnaire was created using Google form and its reliability and validity was tested. Results: The results of the study suggest that parents use messy play during sensory based intervention in home programs occasionally.70 percent of parents suggest using other sensory based equipment’s in comparison to messy play. 80.7 percent of the Occupational Therapist feels that only some of the parents actually do the activities related to messy play. Conclusion: This study shows that Messy play though the cheapest form of intervention with most wide used possibilities of exploration is still not preferred by many parents. Despite all the contributions messy play can make to children's learning and development there does seem to be a reluctance to promote messy play in the home based settings, neglect of such play may be connected with other people's anxieties about children making a mess and its associations with words such as muddled, confused and shambolic. This has led to this type of play being seen as unimportant and undervalued.