Play Therapy Practices in Psychological and Developmental Disorders That Are Common in Preschool Period

Abstract

Preschool period is a period when children start to get to know the environment and gain basic vital skills thanks to their developing cognitive, social, physical and emotional skills. During this period, when the child tries to get to know himself/herself and to control the environment, psychopathological results may occur from time to time. It is seen that the play therapies are getting more and more widespread with the addition of the game, which is the most important occupation of the child, to the treatment stages of the problems experienced in this period. Play therapies are defined as a therapy method in which children’s psychosocial problems are treated using the healing power of the game. The most preferred age group for play therapies that can be applied in different age groups such as baby, child, and adolescent is the 3-12 age range. Thus, it is aimed to improve the problem-solving skills of the children and to be reach their psychological well-being with the play therapy techniques prepared considering their current developmental periods. In addition to the above, play therapies are used in the treatment of many psychological disorders. In the current review article, the effectiveness of play therapy on disorders such as depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, childhood period traumas, anxiety disorders, behavioral disorders, autism and learning disability that are common in pre-school period were evaluated in the pre-school period, and then it was concluded that play therapy was effective in the treatment of all disorders examined, especially behavioral disorders and depression.

Keywords

• child
• preschool
• play therapy