PHI THETA KAPPA | THETA CHI CHAPTER
_{PENSACOLA STATE COLLEGE}

Benefits of Play Therapy
Among Adolescents With Autism

This website serves to summarize the Theta Chi PTK Chapter’s Honors in Action Project.
The Chapter researched play therapy as a treatment method for children with ASD
(Autism spectrum disorder) and the following research culminated in an informative presentation
at the 2023 Fall Honors Symposium.

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Research Guide by
Pensacola State College Librarian Dominique O'Shea

Dominique O'Shea spoke at a Chapter meeting to guide us in our research and even created a research database to jumpstart our project. Dominique showed the Chapter how to navigate databases, use keywords effectively, and use symbols to sift through daunting results.

Research Phase

The Theta Chi Chapter decided to look into play as a form of healing. Upon investigating this line of research, the Chapter discovered play therapy. After reviewing dozens of sources on the topic, the members narrowed down the most relevant journal articles that would serve as a foundation for the research.

“Overall, the review highlighted that sports training boosted motor and social skills.”
- ConclusionAnnalisa Lavante is a researcher at the University of Salento in Italy, and she has published 29 articles across various journals. Additionally, she is a peer reviewer for three journals. This meta-analysis, which is part of the Current Developmental Disorders Reports, sought to provide an overview of studies evaluating the effectiveness of sports training programs in treating children with ASD. They used the PRISMA protocol to select the studies and the PICO protocol to establish eligibility criteria. Their findings revealed the positive effects on motor skills, social functioning, “autistic traits,” and individual functioning, that sports can have on people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. This article serves to strengthen the claim that sports can be used to improve the symptoms associated with ASD.
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“This practical casebook and widely adopted text presents effective, creative approaches to helping children who have experienced such stressful situations as parental death or divorce, abuse and neglect, violence in the school or community, and natural disasters.”
- AbstractApril Schottelkorb is currently an associate professor at Boise State University. She has been involved in 16 publications. This article, which was part of the Journal of Counseling and Development, Vol.98, was intended to investigate the effectiveness of Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). A randomized controlled study was used to measure the effects of CCPT. 23 children were randomly assigned to either the intensive CCPT group or the no-intervention control group. The study's findings revealed that CCPT was an effective therapy method for children with ASD. This article serves to strengthen the claim that CCPT is an effective method for treating children with ASD.
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“The findings of the present study showed that CBPT was very effective in cushioning social anxiety among school children with Speech Impairments.”
- ConclusionCajetan Egbe is a lecturer and researcher for the University of Nigeria and has been involved in 13 publications. This article, part of the Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, was intended to investigate the effects of Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy (CBPT) on children with speech impairments. More specifically, it was a pretest-post test randomized control group study to measure if CBPT could reduce anxiety in children with speech impairments. The investigation revealed CBPT to be an effective method for reducing anxiety in children with speech impairments. This article strengthens the claim that CBPT is an effective method for treating secondary effects of speech impairments, showcasing the versatility of CBPT/CCPT.
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“Our overall findings support CCPT’s beneficial treatment effect.”
- ConclusionYung Wei Lin was a researcher at New Jersey City University, where he was involved in 7 publications. This meta-analysis was part of the Journal of Counseling and Development, Vol.93, and was focused on exploring the overall effectiveness of CCPT by examining 52 controlled outcome studies. The authors found a significant relationship between CCPT and treatment effects for children. The authors believed that their findings show that CCPT deserves recognition as a viable treatment method within the field of child counseling. This article serves to further strengthen the claim that CCPT is a meaningful method for child counseling.
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“Results of this study support the effectiveness of CCPT (Child-centered Play Therapy) among children who have experienced ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and
at risk for complex trauma.”
- AbstractDee Ray is the Director of the Center For Play Therapy at the University of North Texas. Additionally, she has been involved in 30 publications. This article was intended to investigate if CCPT was an effective method to treat children who had two or more adverse childhood experiences (ACE). Specifically, the investigation was a randomized controlled trial with 112 participants to test if CCPT could have a positive effect on social and emotional assets as well as improve behavioral problems. The investigation revealed that CCPT was a “practical and effective” method for children who had experienced ACE. This study further cements that CCPT is a versatile and effective strategy for providing needed therapy to children.
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“This study shows that LEGO® based therapy is worthy of further research as it may have a small positive effect leading to improved social interactions for autistic children”
- ConclusionBarry Wright was a professor at the University of York who was involved in 170 publications and whose works have been cited over 2,500 times. This article was posted in Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, and investigated the effects of LEGO® based therapy on autistic children and young people in school. The study utilized “A 1:1 cluster randomised controlled trial with autistic children aged 7–15” and revealed a small benefit to children who participated in the LEGO® therapy. The therapy was also not very expensive, which could be a significant asset to its adoption. This article serves to showcase the range in which CCPT can manifest, and its potential cost-effectiveness.
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“The overall secondary analysis indicates that CCPT is a therapeutic intervention that supports the development of academic achievement in the school system for at-risk children. The outcomes advocate for the use of CCPT more specifically for underserved students”
- ConclusionRyan Holliman is an assistant professor at Tarleton State University and has been involved in 28 publications. This article was part of the International Journal of Play Therapy, Vol.31, and was
a secondary analysis of four studies. The article investigated the relationship between CCPT and academic achievement, and if any differences were apparent when participants were broken down by ethnicity, gender, or race. The article’s findings demonstrated that CCPT is an “effective intervention in increasing the academic achievement levels of all children.” The article again showcases the deep and wide utility that CCPT can have on not only at-need children but all children.
~~~The Chapter concluded that
play therapy is a viable and potentially crucial form of therapy for children with ASD.

Interview with Miriam Villa

The Chapter interviewed Miriam Villa, a Phi Theta Kappa alumni. Miriam is uniquely qualified on the topic, as she is the mother of a child with ASD and has professional experience as a registered behavior technician. She shared her journey with the Chapter and provided a
first-hand account of what the treatment process can look like for children with ASD. An important insight from the interview was that play therapy fits well with other treatment methods for ASD, as it is malleable, and easily personalized to fit the needs of the child.
One of Miriam's key takeaways is that
at the end of the day, you are dealing with people, not disabilities.

Interview with Dan Frisbee from
The Miracle League of Pensacola

The Miracle League of Pensacola is a local baseball league for mentally and physically challenged children and adults. Dan Frisbee is a coach and advocate for the Miracle League.
He was kind enough to attend a Chapter meeting to answer questions about the organization and its relationship to children with ASD. Miracle League continues to offer a local form of play to children and adults with ASD in Pensacola.Get involved with the Miracle League of Pensacola
Player Registration | Volunteer Registration

Presentation and Q&A
with Chiquitta Alexander

Chiquitta Alexander is a Behaviour Management instructor at Pensacola State College in the Humanities and Social Sciences department. She created a presentation for the Chapter about the signs and effects of ASD in children. Chiquitta also provided the Chapter with advice on how to structure an event for children with ASD, emphasising their comfort and happiness.

Interview with Shanan Chason
from Autism Pensacola

Autism Pensacola is a local non-profit organization in the Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, helping families impacted by ASD. Shanan Chason, Program Director at Autism Pensacola,
was kind enough to speak with the Chapter to inform us about the wide range of services and assistance the organization provides to the local community. Additionally, the Chapter is looking into more ways to stay engaged with Autism Pensacola's events and activities, working on future projects involving ASD.Get involved with Autism Pensacola

Panel Presentation
at the Fall Honors Symposium

Phi Theta Kappa's Theta Chi Chapter presented its journey and research at the
Fall Honors Symposium to spread awareness about Autism and play therapy. The Chapter hopes its future members will take an interest in play therapy and expand upon this project
in upcoming semesters.Honors in Action Committee:
Damien Cruikshank
Hannah Kilburn
Hunter Ramos
Jackson Clyde
John McLeod
JR Welch
Selina Burbick
Yana Ramos

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