Auplay therapy-what is it?
Autplay, is first neurodivergent affirming, the truth is autism is not something to be “cured” but rather understood and supported so that individuals can function in a world that was simply not created for them. Autplay is a mental health protocol designed for working with children, adolescents, typically between the ages of 3-18, and families affect by autism spectrum disorder and other neurodevelopmental disorders. It was created by Dr. Robert Jason Grant, who spent much of his life developing therapeutic skills to support an autism diagnosis. The protocol is an alternative to the commonly used ABA approach, based more in mental health supports than behavioral modifications.
Autplay, like most other therapy protocols, begins with a general mental health assessment. A therapist will ask questions related to family functioning, developmental milestones, and discuss the mental health concerns that you may wish to address. Once the assessment is complete, Autplay focuses on three primary areas of functioning, social skills, emotion regulation and connection (the ability to develop relationships). Through the used of a protocol which uses both interviews, scaling questions and talk/play therapy approaches, you can identify the strengths that an individual has and use those strengths to support the needs that show up in other areas.
These supports can be built and addressed using a variety of approaches, cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), Person/Child Center, Gestalt, or any number of therapy approaches. The difference being is an Autplay therapist has gone through the trainings to identify the specific needs that may be present for an individual with Autism and has learned to cater interventions in a neurodivergent affirming way.
So that all sounds great, but what does this look like in practice?
After you complete the mental health assessment portion and the scaling questions, 1-2 sessions, your therapist will meet with you and your child, and have activities planned. These activities can be short, lasting 3-5 minutes, or long lasting up to the whole 45-50 minute session, and they will be catered towards the presenting growth that was previously discussed. Then at the end of session you will discuss how these activities can be practiced at home.
Yes, you will have “homework” but before you have flash backs to your high school days, these activities are designed to be simple, and you are encouraged to engage in them for however long you or your child is able. Meaning, if your child can only spend 30 seconds doing the intervention at home, and then they want to move on, YAY you did the homework! The goal is to communicate to your child that the things that are done in a therapy session, make a difference outside the office. As you practice more, you will hopefully see your child improve their skills and emotion regulation in daily life.
The best analogy is a fire drill, if your child’s school simply expects students to know what to do in an emergency without practicing, it could potentially be a scary situation, so instead the school has regular times to practice what to do. The same could be said for adults/caregivers who expect their kids to use coping skills or social skills when they are in the middle of being overwhelmed or meeting someone for the first time, without having discussed or practiced the skills at home. However, if we take the time to review and/or engage with therapy activities outside of session, we set kids up for success!
Then finally, as with any time with a therapist, we start looking towards the end of our meetings. I say this to everyone I work with “the whole goal of therapy is to get rid of the therapist.” My goal is to empower you (caregivers) and your child to address and manage behaviors without me, because lets face it, life happens and some struggles may not go away, but YOU will get more skilled and feel more confident in supporting your child and your child will learn skills to identify and communicate their needs.
If this sounds like something that would be supportive to you and your child, schedule a consult or send me an email and we begin this journey together.
For more information take a look at the autplay therapy website, here: https://autplaytherapy.com/