Learning to play to learn in pediatric physical therapy.

Area of Science:

• Pediatric physical therapy
• Child development
• Play-based learning

Background:

• Play is fundamental for children's learning and development.
• Integrating play into pediatric physical therapy (PPT) is widely recommended.
• Understanding how pediatric physical therapists (PPTs) manage play in therapy for children aged 0-3 is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how pediatric physical therapists (PPTs) understand and manage the integration of play in therapy for children aged 0-3.
• To explore the challenges and facilitators of using play in pediatric physical therapy.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study utilizing an enactive theoretical framework.
• Interviews with 14 pediatric physical therapists (PPTs).
• Video-elicited questions based on therapy session recordings, analyzed through abductive thematic analysis.

Main Results:

• PPTs recognize play as a cornerstone of learning and therapy.
• Therapists experience challenges in making play therapeutic, particularly with children exhibiting limited interaction and play skills.
• Tensions arise when therapists strive to balance therapeutic goals with child-led play.

Conclusions:

• Embracing emergent play through shared sense-making can overcome therapeutic challenges.
• Respecting child autonomy, attending to their play experience, and repairing interactional mismatches are key.
• Therapeutic guidance and mutuality empower children to learn new skills and achieve mastery through play.