Longitudinal change in the categorical and sequential toy play of 22 preschool children with cognitive delays was examined. Children were videotaped during home-based independent play sessions at Time 1 and approximately 13 months later at Time 2. No statistically significant Time 1 to Time 2 changes were observed for the proportion of time spent in various categorical play behaviors. Children's relative ranking on play sophistication remained stable over time. Statistically significant changes in the proportion of time spent in play sequences, the length of play sequences, single-scheme sequences, and unordered multischeme sequences were observed. Finally, the correspondence between Time 1-Time 2 difference scores on developmental age and behavioral measures provided modest support for the concept of progression on play competency.
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