Implementing Play Therapy in Young Children with Schizophrenia

Understanding children as an educator requires working with children of a diverse population which includes ethnicities, single parents, same-sex parents, differentiated learners, multi-age groups and the list continues. Developing ways to work with such a diverse population lead me to think about a topic that is seldom mentioned when working with young children. I have always been and still am an advocate for play as a main ingredient that supports the developmental growth of a child in an enriching and organic way. Recently, I furthered my interest by looking at play from an environmental/classroom perspective to more of a clinical perspective when I enrolled in a Play Techniques course this semester. I was unaware of the benefits that children receive from play therapy. Although this was not the only topic discussed, I found myself wanting to further this particular aspect of play in my work someday as a professional. And then it happened; the opportunity came for me to explore this topic and write about it!

Working with different types of learners can be challenging. I question: what does this mean? Who are the learners? What makes them different? And how can I provide the most effective support for them? Children with special needs that are most commonly known offer multiple resources for teachers, parents, caretakers and other professionals. Koplow (2007) argues, “Parents may feel relieved to know that their children’s emotional difficulties can be addressed in the trusted and familiar school setting (p.87),” with the use of play therapy. As I continued my curiosity about play therapy, I wondered if the author would mention what the “emotional difficulties” were and to my surprise she did not.

According to the author play therapy is for children that exhibit “separation anxiety, show extreme fearfulness or social withdrawal, remain absorbed in constant fantasy and appear to lose their orientation to the present reality” amongst other factors. She continues, “Children who have had these experiences are at great risk for emotional, developmental, and learning difficulties, and play therapy may prevent the evolution of more serious problems as they grow older (p.80).” Through my research I have found children with schizophrenia exhibit many of the symptoms, but this disorder was excluded. The purpose of this paper is to provide evidence to support my position that play therapy can be beneficial for young children with schizophrenia. I chose this topic because my mother and brother were diagnosed with schizophrenia and I would like to further explore how young children with this disorder/illness can benefit.

Play therapy is an approach that is being used in many early childhood settings. Griffith defines play therapy as when, “Children often use inanimate objects rather than words to project their feelings, beliefs, and perceptions about themselves and their world (Allen, Folder, Pehrsson, 2007).”