LEGO®-Based Therapy and children with Autism

Three summers recesses ago I researched LEGO -based therapy as a possible additional therapy to introduce into the school. I decided against it. I decided that staff members would not be able to stop themselves from helping children with the build. Non-directive play therapy is a non-intrusive method in which children are encouraged to work toward their own solutions to problems through play. I reported my decision back to staff.

A year later I was attending church when the minister got out a load of LEGO for us all to ‘play’ with. He felt it would help us plan the future of the church.  The LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methodology is an innovative process designed to enhance innovation and business performance. Based on research which shows that this kind of hands-on, minds-on learning produces a deeper, more meaningful understanding of the world and its possibilities, the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methodology deepens the reflection process and supports an effective dialogue – for everyone in the organization.

As soon as the church meeting was over I went straight to a Toy shop and bought several boxes of LEGO. The following day was a training day in school and although the training had been planned months in advance my introduction to the training day had not been finalised.

I introduced the training day with LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®, gave staff a brief introduction to  LEGO®-Based Therapy  and each group departing for their training venue in the school was given a  box of LEGO with visual instructions. They could complete it as and when they had time but only if they chose to.

"You can learn more about a person in an hour of play than you can from a lifetime of conversation" – Plato 

It has been the most successful training day that we have had as a school. It is hard to find a more satisfying payoff than a completed LEGO set. I could go on and on about the benefits of that payoff.

At the end of the training day I apologised to staff for presuming to decide for them 12months previously. We introduced LEGO -based therapy into the school that term.It has been an astounding success.

The central tenet of Seymour Papert’s constructionist theory of learning is that people learn most effectively when they are actively engaged in constructing things. He became the first LEGO professor of learning research in 1989.

LEGO club rules are introduced to children  participating for the first time. Most children seem naturally drawn to LEGO.They develop LEGO brick building skills, including collaborative building as a team. Rules and instructions are visual.

Ergo the group meets on a regular basis (preferably weekly)  and during that time engages in collaborative LEGO brick building activities and other projects, tailored to their skill levels. They engage the group so naturally that other challenges faced during playtime are more likely to be overcome. LEGO -based therapy is so engaging that the  focus on  fine motor skills doesn’t seem as much of an issue for children with autism as gripping a pencil does.

Group members have different responsibilities  (typically these roles a”director”, ‘engineer’; ‘supplier’; and ‘builder’). These roles support their development in creativity, imaginative play and socialization.

Once together they assemble the project with and an emphasis on verbal and non-verbal communication, joint attention and task focus. The need to focus seems to prevent repetitive actions which often plague and frustrate children with autism. With problem solving and step-by-step directions at the heart of project building, many children who have autism find themselves in their comfort zones right from the start.

Collaborative LEGO® based therapy involves children working together to build LEGO® models in pairs and in teams of three or more. It is argued that as a result, participants experience a greater motivation to initiate social contact and engage in sustained interactions with others. (LeGoff, 2004) Collaborative problem-solving, sharing and turn-taking (switching roles during the task) is an aspect of the therapy.

Legoff created LEGO- based therapy. During his weekly LEGO®-Based Therapy with children, LeGoff allocated specific joint and interactive jobs within the LEGO® building and made the children take turns to carry out each role. He also provided a structured set of rules, giving the children responsibility for problem-solving, using the rules as guidance.

Understandably  the resulting interaction promoted the development of key skills which were previously challenging for children with Autism Spectrum Conditions to gain. These key skills include, joint attention, sharing, collaboration, verbal and non- verbal communication and conflict resolution.

But the supervising adult does not take part in the build . The supervisor takes on  the role of facilitator, highlighting the presence of any problems and encouraging pupils to come up with solutions. These experiences resulted in the children with Autism Spectrum Conditions gaining a greater understanding of each others points of view.

 LEGO® Club at Ysgol pen Coch

 There are three different levels of LEGO®-Based Therapy, Individual LEGO® Club, Collaboration LEGO® Club Pairs/Two Peers and Group LEGO® Club. Each level follows a similar session format below,

1. Introduction 5 minutes (greet and rules or set goals)

2. LEGO® set building 15 minutes (small LEGO® kits with visual building plans provided – taking it in turns to perform set roles) Role A. Designer –tells everyone what to build Role B. Sorter –finds the right Lego pieces Role C. Builder –puts the Lego pieces together

3. LEGO® freestyle building 15 minutes (pupils agree on a LEGO® project and build collaboratively, taking it in turns to perform set roles but without visual instruction sheets)

4. Tidy up 5 minutes

5. Circle time 5 minutes (showing Lego creations and certificates/prizes)

LEGO® Club Certificates: The children have the opportunity to be awarded certificates for achieving LEGO® Club skills over the course of the LEGO®-Based Therapy, these skills include, LEGO® Helpers, LEGO® Builders, LEGO® Creators, LEGO® Masters and LEGO® Genius.

 LEGO® Club Rules: The children follow of the LEGO® Club rules during the session and are awarded points for remembering them.

The children adore attending LEGO club .