Abstract
The purpose of this project is to provide early childhood professionals with an evidence based, simple, and affordable universal screening measure to identify early risk-factors through observation of cognitive, social, language, and motor play behaviors. The Playful Learning Assessment of Young Children (PLAY) was created, based on a review of current research, to fulfill the need for such a screening measure. Play is an innate behavior in which young children engage to acquire new skills and enhance their knowledge of the world. Interactions through play teach children strategies for problem solving, mediating social interactions, and communicating needs. Play follows a typical developmental sequence that professionals can analyze in order to identify potentially abnormal behaviors that may require intervention and support. Irregular play behaviors have been proven to be associated with later cognitive and social deficits, and early intervention has the potential of alleviating preschool risk factors. Teachers, parents, and professionals use results from the PLAY screener to inform curriculum, offer targeted play opportunities, collaborate with families regarding potential play needs, and recommend community based referrals for children exhibiting severely delayed play skills.