COMMUNICATION
Top Ways to Use Lego Blocks
for Purposeful Play With Autism
®
By Amy ELEFTHERIADES, PGCE, MEd in SEND
S
ome people believe they are not “good” at
playing with Lego blocks—others prefer
other toys or activities—but very few peo-
ple really dislike it.
Traditionally, Lego has been seen as a toy;
however, this is not necessarily the case
anymore. Lego is increasingly being used
as a tool to encourage and develop creativity, im-
prove language and communication, and teach and
enhance team building skills. I have used them with
people of many ages and in schools, homes, and
businesses.
Working as an autism advisory teacher for schools
previously, I was trained to use Lego-Therapy—struc-
tured activity-based sessions that can develop social
and communication skills in children with autism.
This form of play therapy was originally reported in
the research literature by Dr. Daniel LeGoff (2004)
and later further researched by Gina Owens and Pro-
fessor Simon Baron-Cohen (2008) at the Autism Re-
search Centre, Cambridge, UK.
The structured sessions appear to appeal to children
and young people with autism, and staff in schools
could access Lego easily. Over the years of planning
and delivering sessions, I started to develop further
ideas and worked alongside some extremely talent-
ed professionals and brilliant parents. I was able to
adapt and enhance Lego activities to suit the needs
of the children and their environments.
Autism Parenting Magazine | Issue 87 |
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