No Cover Image

Journal article 38 views

Exploring Autistic Children’s Play Cycles Using the Play Cycle Observation Method (PCOM)

Eleanor Mugford, Peter King Orcid Logo

International Journal of Playwork Practice, Volume: 6, Issue: 1, Pages: 1 - 37

Swansea University Author: Peter King Orcid Logo

Abstract

The Play Cycle Observation Method (PCOM) enables researchers to observe and record the process of play based on the theory of the Play Cycle. While the PCOM has been used with both video footage and in real-time observation of neurotypical children, it has not previously been applied with neurodiver...

Full description

Published in: International Journal of Playwork Practice
Published: 2026
Online Access: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1077&context=ijpp
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71710
first_indexed 2026-04-02T10:22:55Z
last_indexed 2026-04-03T06:01:30Z
id cronfa71710
recordtype SURis
fullrecord <?xml version="1.0"?><rfc1807><datestamp>2026-04-02T11:25:37.3525266</datestamp><bib-version>v2</bib-version><id>71710</id><entry>2026-04-02</entry><title>Exploring Autistic Children&#x2019;s Play Cycles Using the Play Cycle Observation Method (PCOM)</title><swanseaauthors><author><sid>b51f47c6c82135914b7612fdbc84f94b</sid><ORCID>0000-0003-0273-8191</ORCID><firstname>Peter</firstname><surname>King</surname><name>Peter King</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author></swanseaauthors><date>2026-04-02</date><deptcode>SOSS</deptcode><abstract>The Play Cycle Observation Method (PCOM) enables researchers to observe and record the process of play based on the theory of the Play Cycle. While the PCOM has been used with both video footage and in real-time observation of neurotypical children, it has not previously been applied with neurodivergent children. This study involved ten one-hour naturalistic PCOM observations with nine autistic children during play sessions. The results demonstrated variability in play processes, with several styles of play behaviour observed, including differences in how play was initiated, sustained, and terminated. The findings both corroborate and challenge strands of the existing literature on autistic play, contributing to the development of practice-informed, real-world applications, supporting play interaction for autistic children</abstract><type>Journal Article</type><journal>International Journal of Playwork Practice</journal><volume>6</volume><journalNumber>1</journalNumber><paginationStart>1</paginationStart><paginationEnd>37</paginationEnd><publisher/><placeOfPublication/><isbnPrint/><isbnElectronic/><issnPrint/><issnElectronic/><keywords/><publishedDay>1</publishedDay><publishedMonth>4</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2026</publishedYear><publishedDate>2026-04-01</publishedDate><doi/><url>https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1077&amp;amp;context=ijpp</url><notes/><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><department>Social Sciences School</department><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><DepartmentCode>SOSS</DepartmentCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><apcterm>Not Required</apcterm><funders/><projectreference/><lastEdited>2026-04-02T11:25:37.3525266</lastEdited><Created>2026-04-02T11:17:24.4755233</Created><path><level id="1">Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences</level><level id="2">School of Social Sciences - Education and Childhood Studies</level></path><authors><author><firstname>Eleanor</firstname><surname>Mugford</surname><order>1</order></author><author><firstname>Peter</firstname><surname>King</surname><orcid>0000-0003-0273-8191</orcid><order>2</order></author></authors><documents/><OutputDurs/></rfc1807>
spelling 2026-04-02T11:25:37.3525266 v2 71710 2026-04-02 Exploring Autistic Children’s Play Cycles Using the Play Cycle Observation Method (PCOM) b51f47c6c82135914b7612fdbc84f94b 0000-0003-0273-8191 Peter King Peter King true false 2026-04-02 SOSS The Play Cycle Observation Method (PCOM) enables researchers to observe and record the process of play based on the theory of the Play Cycle. While the PCOM has been used with both video footage and in real-time observation of neurotypical children, it has not previously been applied with neurodivergent children. This study involved ten one-hour naturalistic PCOM observations with nine autistic children during play sessions. The results demonstrated variability in play processes, with several styles of play behaviour observed, including differences in how play was initiated, sustained, and terminated. The findings both corroborate and challenge strands of the existing literature on autistic play, contributing to the development of practice-informed, real-world applications, supporting play interaction for autistic children Journal Article International Journal of Playwork Practice 6 1 1 37 1 4 2026 2026-04-01 https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1077&amp;context=ijpp COLLEGE NANME Social Sciences School COLLEGE CODE SOSS Swansea University Not Required 2026-04-02T11:25:37.3525266 2026-04-02T11:17:24.4755233 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Social Sciences - Education and Childhood Studies Eleanor Mugford 1 Peter King 0000-0003-0273-8191 2
title Exploring Autistic Children’s Play Cycles Using the Play Cycle Observation Method (PCOM)
spellingShingle Exploring Autistic Children’s Play Cycles Using the Play Cycle Observation Method (PCOM)
Peter King
title_short Exploring Autistic Children’s Play Cycles Using the Play Cycle Observation Method (PCOM)
title_full Exploring Autistic Children’s Play Cycles Using the Play Cycle Observation Method (PCOM)
title_fullStr Exploring Autistic Children’s Play Cycles Using the Play Cycle Observation Method (PCOM)
title_full_unstemmed Exploring Autistic Children’s Play Cycles Using the Play Cycle Observation Method (PCOM)
title_sort Exploring Autistic Children’s Play Cycles Using the Play Cycle Observation Method (PCOM)
author_id_str_mv b51f47c6c82135914b7612fdbc84f94b
author_id_fullname_str_mv b51f47c6c82135914b7612fdbc84f94b_***_Peter King
author Peter King
author2 Eleanor Mugford
Peter King
format Journal article
container_title International Journal of Playwork Practice
container_volume 6
container_issue 1
container_start_page 1
publishDate 2026
institution Swansea University
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str School of Social Sciences - Education and Childhood Studies{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Social Sciences - Education and Childhood Studies
url https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1077&amp;context=ijpp
document_store_str 0
active_str 0
description The Play Cycle Observation Method (PCOM) enables researchers to observe and record the process of play based on the theory of the Play Cycle. While the PCOM has been used with both video footage and in real-time observation of neurotypical children, it has not previously been applied with neurodivergent children. This study involved ten one-hour naturalistic PCOM observations with nine autistic children during play sessions. The results demonstrated variability in play processes, with several styles of play behaviour observed, including differences in how play was initiated, sustained, and terminated. The findings both corroborate and challenge strands of the existing literature on autistic play, contributing to the development of practice-informed, real-world applications, supporting play interaction for autistic children
published_date 2026-04-01T06:09:24Z
_version_ 1861877722356121600
score 11.100924

Similar Items