In this study an attempt was firstly made to theoretically conceptualize autism as a phenomenon in Middle Childhood and the impact thereof on the family, as well as play techniques in the context of autism. The characteristics, behaviour and statistics of autism were looked at as well as the expectations of development of a child (with autism) in middle childhood. The impact of the diagnosis of autism, particularly on the family, was also discussed as well as play techniques in the context of autism. Secondly the researcher focused on exploring the nature of existing play technique programmes on a national and international level. The focus then was placed on developing a play technique programme for autistic children in middle childhood (between the ages of six and 12 years). This programme was then implemented with 12 autistic children in middle childhood at The Key School for Specialized Education in Parktown West, Johannesburg. Each of the 12 respondents were seen for six sessions, with each session lasting 30 minutes. The empirical results were then given through evaluating the play technique programme to assess the effectiveness of the play technique programme. Finally the researcher came to conclusions and recommendations, based on the research findings, regarding the effectiveness of the play technique programme for autistic children in order to enhance the impact of the play technique programme. The broad aim of the study was to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a play technique programme to enhance the social behaviour of autistic children between the ages of six and 12. The following hypothesis was developed: if autistic children are involved in the play technique programme, then their social behaviour will improve. Consequently, the following sub hypotheses were developed: (1) If autistic children are involved in the play technique programme then their verbal communication skills will improve; (2) If autistic children are involved in a play technique programme then their non-verbal communication skills will improve; (3) If autistic children are involved in a play technique programme then their social interaction skills will improve; (4) If autistic children are involved in a play technique programme then their challenging behaviours will decrease. In the context of applied research, intervention research was the most appropriate type of research for this particular study. This is due to the fact that the researcher aimed to conduct an intervention, namely a play technique programme, which was attempting to impact a particular problem within society, namely the lack of support provided for parents and/or professionals dealing with autistic children in middle childhood. The research approach used in the study was quantitative. The researcher utilized the one-group pretest-posttest design (i.e. quasi-experimental/associative design). In this particular design there is a measurement (pre-test) of a dependent variable (the autistic children’s social behaviour) when no independent variable (play technique programme) is present. Subsequently the independent variable is introduced, followed by a repeated measurement (posttest) of the dependent variable. The 12 respondents were selected through probability sampling, more specifically stratified and systematic sampling. A self-constructed measuring instrument was used, within structured observation, to evaluate the respondents’ changes in social behaviour, due to exposure to the various play techniques. The specific behaviours focused on included verbal communication, non-verbal communication, social interaction and challenging behaviours. The findings confirmed that the play technique programme had a highly significant effect on all four areas measured (verbal communication, non-verbal communication, social interaction and challenging behaviour). The respondents (the autistic children) therefore showed a marked improvement in their social behaviour due to being involved in the play technique programme and the conclusion that can be reached is that the play technique programme can be perceived as having had the impact that was hoped for. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

When doing this research, the researcher aimed to prove the hypothesis that if music is introduced within a play therapy framework then the classroom behaviour of an autistic child will improve. The goal of the study was to determine the impact of music, within play therapy, on the behaviour of autistic children in a classroom situation. Autism and play therapy were discussed, and the benefits of background music in the classroom were explored. The population consisted of all the autistic children attending the Key School. Six children between the ages of nine and 12 were selected from the population through non-probability purposive sampling. The quasi-experimental design was used in order to complete the empirical investigation. A scale was used in order to measure the impact of music on the classroom behaviour of the autistic child. Pre- and post-test measurements were done in order to indicate any changes in the autistic children’s behaviour. More in-depth information was gathered through the use of unstructured observation. Research results have indicated that the introduction of background music into the classroom of children affected by autism has a positive effect on their behaviour. It can therefore be concluded that background music can contribute to enhancing the functioning of the autistic child. Consequently it was recommended that background music be used in the classroom in future, to improve the behaviour of the autistic child. / Dissertation (MSD (Play Therapy))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Social Work / unrestricted