2025 Play Promoter Prize winner – Angela Mann with Hope Grove
Each year, following the Play Conference, we celebrate one attendee who embodies the heart of what we stand for: bringing play back to children’s lives in meaningful, accessible, and imaginative ways. The Play Promoter Prize recognizes a therapist-led initiative that champions play, inclusion, and creativity in the real world – and this year’s winner, occupational […]
How Play-Based Therapy Transforms Practice With Autistic Children
There’s a growing shift toward play-based therapy for autistic kids – and it’s rooted in both science and experience. Research, lived experience, and practitioner insight all point to the same truth: children learn, connect, and thrive when therapy honors their neurology, not when it asks them to suppress it. Compliance-based methods often prioritise “following directions,” […]
Leveraging Media for GLP Learners
When we think about screen time for children, our minds often jump to limits, overstimulation, and “too much YouTube.” But as Speech-Language Pathologist Victoria (Tor) Matkowski shared with us during our Play Conference interview, for Gestalt Language Processors (GLPs), the media they love can actually be a powerful communication tool – when used with understanding […]
Strategies to Maximize Engagement in Play-Based Therapy
Drawing on insights from Katie Zelinski, this article shares practical, bottom-up strategies to create therapy environments that invite safety, curiosity, and sustained engagement, from sensory setup to child-led structure.
7 Reasons Autistic Children Withdraw from Play in Therapy
When a child turns away, walks off, or “checks out” during play, it’s not defiance – it’s communication. In this article we explore seven common reasons autistic children disengage in therapy, what those subtle cues might be telling us, and how to respond with empathy instead of pressure.
Following the Child’s Lead – A Strength-Based Approach in DIRFloortime®
DIRFloortime® is a strength-based, relationship-driven framework that honors each child’s individuality. Rather than focusing on “fixing” behaviors, therapists use emotional attunement and play to build trust, safety, and motivation – creating the conditions for growth. In our Play Conference interview with OT Kerri Ciskowski, we explored how DIRFloortime helps therapists and families move away from […]
DIRFloortime® in Action: Supporting Growth Through the Developmental Capacities
If you work in a play-based practice, you’ve probably heard of DIRFloortime®, but you may still be wondering what it really looks like in action. In this interview from The Play Conference, pediatric occupational therapist Kerri Ciskowski shares how the DIRFloortime model helps clinicians and families understand each child’s unique developmental journey – especially for […]
Co-Planning That Works: Aligning Therapy with Academic Goals
Co-planning empowers teachers and therapists to work side by side, blending therapy and instruction so every student can succeed within the classroom. As classrooms become more diverse and collaborative, educators and therapists are finding that intentional co-planning opens the door to more meaningful, consistent support. During the Inclusive Classrooms Summit, speech-language pathologist Abigail Long shared […]
Primitive Reflexes in the Classroom: What Therapists Need to Know
When we look around the classroom, primitive reflexes may not be the first thing that comes to mind. We often associate them with infants and early intervention. But what happens when these reflexes don’t integrate as expected? For many students, retained primitive reflexes continue to shape their development well into the school years – impacting […]
Supporting ADHD Success in the Classroom
ADHD is one of the most misunderstood learning difference in classrooms – even among professionals who work with children every day. Too often, students with ADHD are seen as lacking motivation, willpower, or discipline, when in reality, their challenges stem from a mismatch between what is being asked of them and how their brains naturally […]