Play Skills
Evidence-Based Therapy Approaches That Build Play Skills
Play skills in early childhood are best built through naturalistic developmental behavioural interventions (NDBIs) — child-led, play-embedded approaches such as JASPER, the Early Start Denver Model and Pivotal Response Treatment, plus DIR/Floortime and play-based occupational therapy, all supported by systematic reviews. A clinical AbilityScore® and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre under qualified clinician care.
Play is the work of childhood — and for children who find it hard, the right approaches turn isolated, repetitive activity into shared, joyful learning.
In short
The strongest evidence base for building play skills in early childhood comes from naturalistic developmental behavioural interventions (NDBIs) — child-led, play-embedded teaching delivered in everyday routines. Approaches such as JASPER, the Early Start Denver Model and Pivotal Response Treatment, alongside DIR/Floortime and play-based occupational therapy, are supported by systematic reviews for advancing object play, symbolic play and joint attention. Selection is matched to the child's developmental profile, not the diagnosis alone.The science
- JASPER (Joint Attention, Symbolic Play, Engagement and Regulation) — manualised, RCT-supported; directly targets play diversity, sequencing and shared engagement.
- Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) — an NDBI fusing developmental and ABA principles within natural play; trial evidence for play and social-communication gains in toddlers.
- Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) — uses child choice, natural reinforcement and turn-taking to expand spontaneous, motivated play.
- DIR/Floortime — follows the child's lead through affect-based interaction to climb the developmental ladder of two-way play and symbolic thinking.
- Occupational and play-based therapy — addresses the sensory, motor and praxis foundations that underpin exploratory and pretend play.
Common active ingredients across these models: following the child's lead, embedding goals in motivating routines, scaffolding the next developmental step, and high rates of responsive adult contingency.
When to refer
Refer for a developmental check where a child shows little spontaneous or pretend play, limited joint attention, repetitive object use, or play that is not progressing in complexity with age — particularly alongside social-communication concerns.The Pinnacle way
A clinical AbilityScore® and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre, under qualified clinician care — never from an app or form. A clinician-administered structured assessment profiles a child's play skills across object, social and symbolic domains, then matches an NDBI-aligned plan delivered through play-based developmental therapy and our AbilityScore® assessment.Trusted sources
WHO and CDC developmental milestone guidance; ASHA guidance on naturalistic social-communication intervention; Cochrane reviews of early intervention for autistic children; AAP developmental surveillance guidance.Next step — Partner with us to build a play-skills programme for your caseload. Connect with a Pinnacle clinical team.
This is general information, not a diagnosis — a clinical AbilityScore® and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre under qualified clinician care.
What to watch
Watch for little spontaneous or pretend play, limited joint attention, repetitive object use, or play that does not grow in complexity with age — especially alongside social-communication concerns.
Try this at home
Follow the child's lead: join whatever they choose, mirror their action, then add one small new step — a sound, a turn or a pretend twist — to scaffold richer play.
Trusted sources
Developed by SETU Consortium · Pinnacle Blooms Network · Last reviewed 2026-06-10 · reviewed every 540 days
This is general information, not a diagnosis. A clinical AbilityScore® and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre, under qualified clinician care.
Frequently asked
What is the most evidence-supported approach for building play skills?
Naturalistic developmental behavioural interventions (NDBIs) — notably JASPER, the Early Start Denver Model and Pivotal Response Treatment — have the strongest trial and systematic-review support for advancing object, symbolic and joint-attention play in young children.
How do these approaches differ from structured table-top teaching?
They embed goals within the child's own motivating play rather than adult-directed drills, using child choice, natural reinforcement and developmental scaffolding to build spontaneous, generalised play.
At what age should play-skill intervention begin?
Early, often in the toddler and preschool years, since play is a primary developmental engine. A clinician-administered assessment determines the appropriate developmental targets for each child.