ACCEPTING DIFFERENT WAYS OF PLAYING

Autistic children often play in ways that reflect how they see and experience the world. Whether it’s lining up toys, repeating actions, or quietly playing alongside others, these moments bring comfort, joy, and understanding. When we accept different ways of playing, we show children that they don’t need to change who they are to belong — they are valued just as they are.

Play doesn’t have to look one specific way.

Some children enjoy imaginative role play.
Others prefer patterns, repetition, or exploring how things work.
Some may play independently rather than joining in with others.

These are not “wrong” ways to play.

They are meaningful, purposeful, and often deeply regulating.

Through play, children learn, process, and make sense of the world around them. For autistic children, this might look different—but that difference is not something to correct.

When we interrupt, redirect, or try to make play more “typical,” we can take away something that feels safe and enjoyable.

But when we observe, accept, and even join in on their terms, we build connection.

Because play is more than an activity.

It’s a language.

And every child deserves to be understood in their own way.

This Autism Awareness Month, let’s celebrate all the different ways children play.