LEGO-Based Play Therapy for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

LEGO®-Based Play Therapy: Participants receive LEGO®-Based Play Therapy in small groups once weekly for 12 weeks. During each session, children collaboratively build LEGO® models while rotating through three structured roles: Engineer (provides building instructions and guides the task), Supplier (identifies and provides the required LEGO® pieces), and Builder (assembles the LEGO® model according to the instructions). The intervention is designed to improve social communication, cooperation, joint attention, problem-solving, and play skills through structured peer interaction.

Study summary

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by difficulties in social communication and interaction, as well as restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior. Children with ASD often experience challenges in developing social relationships and engaging in age-appropriate play activities.

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of LEGO®-Based Play Therapy in improving social skills and play skills in children with autism spectrum disorder. Participants are assigned to either a LEGO®-Based Play Therapy group or a control group. The intervention consists of structured group sessions conducted over a 12-week period using collaborative LEGO® building activities designed to promote communication, cooperation, problem-solving, and peer interaction.

The primary outcomes are changes in social skills and play skills measured using validated assessment tools before and after the intervention. The findings of this study may provide evidence regarding the effectiveness of LEGO®-Based Play Therapy as a supportive intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder and contribute to the development of evidence-based psychosocial interventions.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Play Skills — Baseline, Week 12 (post-intervention), and Week 24 (12-week follow-up)
  Play skills will be assessed using the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale (PIPPS)(parents and teacher scales). The Play Interaction subscale assesses positive social behaviors such as cooperation, sharing, helping, and inviting peers to join play activities. The Play Disruption subscale measures aggressive, antisocial, and conflict-provoking behaviors, whereas the Play Disconnection subscale evaluates the child's tendency to withdraw from peer play and exhibit socially withdrawn behaviors. All items are rated on a 4-point Likert scale. The Turkish adaptation, validity, and reliability study of the scale was conducted by Ahmetoğlu et al. (2016). The findings demonstrated that the original three-factor structure of the scale was retained. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients were reported as 0.72 for the Play Interaction subscale, 0.75 for the Play Disruption subscale, and 0.68 for the Play Disconnection subscale. In the present study, the scale was administered at pre-test, post-test, and
• Social Skills — Baseline, Week 12 (immediately after completion of the intervention), and Week 24 (12 weeks after completion of the intervention)
  Social skills will be assessed using the Autism Social Skills Profile (ASSP). Higher scores indicate better social skills. The Autism Social Skills Profile (ASSP) consists of 41 items organized into three subscales: Social Reciprocity, Social Participation, and Detrimental Social Behaviors. The questionnaire is completed by parents using a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (Never) to 3 (Very Often). Total scores range from 0 to 123, with higher scores indicating more advanced social skills. The Turkish adaptation, validity, and reliability study of the parent version of the ASSP was conducted by Demir (2014). The findings demonstrated excellent internal consistency, with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.92. In the present study, the ASSP was administered at pre-test, post-test, and follow-up to evaluate the effects of LEGO®-based group play therapy on the social skills of children. Permission to use the scale was obtained prior to data collection.

Trial sites (1)

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