Children’s embodied practices for organizing participation in pretend play in an inclusive kindergarten

Abstract

This paper uses a microanalysis of naturally occurring interactions to uncover how pre-school-aged autistic and non-autistic children organize their participation in pretend play. The analysis draws on video recordings of children and a teacher during two playing time sessions in an inclusive nursery school. It explores differences in the embodied practices with which the children attempt to gain access to play material and take possession of it. Findings show how children use environmental resources (e.g. space, objects) for their purposes while adapting to relevant situative contingencies; they also suggest that autistic children can be thorough observers of unfolding interactions who possess the ability to transform and adopt their own embodied practices. Comparative analysis thus provides empirical support for the potential achievements of inclusive education.