Clinical Goals for Playground Therapy

GOAL 1. To improve the child’s ability to engage in social reciprocity with peers on the playground.

Objectives:

The child will use appropriate eye gaze and shift his/her attention from an object to a peer in order to gain joint attention.
The child will comment on a peer’s action and on his/her own action during play.
The child will initiate and join a play theme with a peer on the playground at school.
The child will more consistently maintain the topic of a peer interaction or appropriately ask a peer to change the topic during play.

GOAL 2. To improve the child’s social and emotional responses to his/her peers during play.

Objectives:

The child will spontaneously comment to a peer with a compliment or point out an action that engages the peer in conversation.
The child will engage a peer in telling a story theme during play (e.g., making mud soup).
The child will spontaneously bring a peer into a conversation.
The child will respond with appropriate emotional/facial expressions in conversation.

GOAL 3. To improve the child’s awareness of peers and the behavior of others during play; to increase physical proximity during play; to follow other children on the playground; to show objects to peers; and to seek attention from peers.

Objectives:

The child will point to peers running across the playground, comment, and then follow them with intent to join in their play.
The child will more consistently stay in close physical proximity with a peer during play, make appropriate comments (e.g., I’m here! Wait for me!), and run fast enough to “track” a peer during gross motor activities/games.
The child will show a peer an object or work on a project with a peer in a story theme.
The child will ask another peer to play in his/her story theme.

Special Notes:

Observation Checklist for Daily Progress Notes

(+ for one time in a recess period of 20-25 minutes)

The child shows an object (e.g., ball or stick) to another child at one recess period:

_______________________________________________________________________

The child stays within the same physical proximity of another child for over 5 minutes in one recess period:

_______________________________________________________________________

The child makes a comment about his/her own actions or another peer’s actions at one recess period:

_______________________________________________________________________

The child follows a point and moves with that child to a destination on the playground:

________________________________________________________________________

The child stays on the topic of a story/ play/theme of play for 10 minutes of a recess play period:

_______________________________________________________________________

The child observes others and waits to hear what a peer wants to do and then follows that peer:

_______________________________________________________________________

The child asks a peer for directions or help in one recess play period:

_______________________________________________________________________

The child initiates play with another child:

_______________________________________________________________________

The child shares an object or a turn with another child:

TOTAL NUMBER OF + FOR THE DAY:_____________________________________

TOTAL NUMBER OF + FOR THE WEEK:____________________________________

Notes on child’s interactions and language excerpts:

_______________________________________________________________________

Follow-up Notes to Teachers and Staff:

_______________________________________________________________________

Learn more about Narrative Play Therapy and download the Narrative Play Therapy Chart

-->

About Child Talk: About Ann Densmore | Introduction to Narrative Play Therapy | Contact Us

Helping Children With Autism Become More Social