Effectiveness of Child-Centered Play Intervention in Promoting Social Skills and Self-Control in Autistic Children

Objective: The present study was undertaken with the objective of assessing the efficacy of child-centered play therapy in enhancing the social skills and self-regulation of children diagnosed with autism. Methods: The methodology employed in this investigation was quasi-experimental in nature, utilizing a pre-test-post-test design that included a control group. The statistical population for this research comprised all boys and girls aged between 6 to 9 years who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and who possess medical records for the academic year 2023 at the Aftab Children's Autism Center of Quds city. This sample was randomly assigned into two groups: a control group consisting of 12 participants and an experimental group also comprising 12 participants. The instruments utilized for data collection included The Brief Self-Control Scale (BSCS), developed by Tangney et al. (2004) and Social Skills Rating Form (Stone et al., 2010). For the purpose of data analysis, a multivariate covariance analysis test was employed, with a significance level set at 0.01. Results: The findings indicated a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups regarding social skills; in other words, child-centered play therapy has demonstrably enhanced both social skills and self-regulation within the experimental group. Conclusions: Therefore, interventions grounded in child-centered play therapy may be appropriately integrated into the programming of school counseling centers.