THE LEGO FOUNDATION PARTNERS WITH SOCIAL ENTERPRISE, PLAY INCLUDED™, TO STRENGTHEN & SCALE LEGO® PLAY BASED LEARNING PROGRAMME FOR NEURODIVERGENT CHILDREN

While neurodivergent children can often be misunderstood due to different ways of communicating, they have the same need and desire as all other children; to feel understood, accepted and build meaningful friendships to reach their full potential and aspirations in life. Brick Clubs give them a unique and playful learning opportunity to have positive social experiences, connect with others over a shared interest, improve emotional well-being and develop friendships. Playful, social support initiatives like Brick Club can also help to reduce any negative outcomes such as social isolation and mental health problems and help build stronger societal awareness and acceptance of autism.

“It’s not just about helping CHILDREN TODAY but THE ADULTS THEY WILL BECOME TOMORROW”, says LC Groux-Moreau, Autistic adult, Consultant for the UK National Autistic Society. “Childhood development is a critical determinant of a person’s social and emotional wellbeing. This can in turn impact physical and mental health, as well as academic success and employment opportunities in adulthood.”

With national studies showing that 50-90% of young autistic adults are unemployed or severely underemployed with many experiencing mental health issues (e.g. in the UK 80% of autistic adults experience mental health issues at some point in life, against 25% of the general population(1)), it has never been more critical to actively support social emotional development in autistic children.

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This release uses autistic-identity-first language to discuss autism, for example “autis​​​​​​​tic child” instead of person-first language such as “child with autism" as research has shown that a majority of autistic individuals prefer this terminology (Kenny, Hattersley, Molins, Buckley, Povey, and Pellicano, 2015). Nevertheless, we recognise there is variation in preferred terminology both within the group of people with a diagnosis and within parent/caregiver and practitioner groups. Some parents may prefer the term “child on the autism spectrum” and professionals often use “person with autism” or clinical terms such as “autism spectrum disorder” (ASD). To avoid repetition throughout this release we have also used, “on the autism spectrum” or “on the autistic spectrum”; which were considered acceptable by all groups.

• Play Included have trained facilitators in 40 countries, and the current facilitator manual is now available in six languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, simplified Chinese, Polish and Italian. More languages will be added early 2023. The project will be a dynamic and co-created entrepreneurial process with a focus on long term sustainability where support from the LEGO Foundation will enable Play Included to broaden and deepen their in-country reach and expand to more countries.

• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 1 in 160 children are autistic. Many more children struggle with social communication for other reasons.

• Every autistic child will have their own unique strengths and needs. Autistic children may view the world from a different and valuable perspective and may have considerable strengths often including attention to detail and accuracy. They may show a deep focus on an activity of interest with a methodical and novel approach to find innovative solutions. Many autistic people show a distinctive imagination or may spot patterns and repetitions others may miss. They are often very honest, accepting of difference and less likely to judge others. Autistic children may have a different natural way of communicating, socialising and experiencing the world, they may face social interaction challenges due to lack of societal understanding of autistic communication. (Play Included; UK National Autistic Society).

• Research has shown that autistic people effectively share information and build rapport with each other (Crompton, C.J., and Fletcher-Watson, S., (2020)); however, challenges may arise between neurotypical and autistic individuals. These challenges may be due to lack of societal understanding of the differences in communication styles; therefore, it is important to develop mutual understanding and acceptance of differences between everyone.

• Research shows that autistic people are at higher risk of poor long-term outcomes, such as poor mental health, loneliness, peer rejection and social isolation (Kinnear et al. 2015; Bauminger and Kasari 2000; Bauminger et al. 2003). This is often because of differences in how autistic people process information and interact with the world. Autistic children engage socially in different ways compared with their typically developing peers, and may not know how to initiate co-operative play with typically developing peers. Whilst some autistic children find comfort in playing on their own, these differences may limit the child’s experiences and opportunities to develop friendships, relationships and social understanding.

• In 2021, the UK’s Office for National Statistics released their 'Outcomes for Disabled People in the UK: 2020' report which showed that autistic people are the least likely to be in work of any other disabled group. Just 21.7% of autistic people are in employment. Note, these statistics may vary country by country.

• Australian adults with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) participate in employment at a rate of 42%, in comparison to 53% of all individuals with disabilities, and 83% of individuals without disabilities (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2009, 2010). Similarly, in the United States, 58% of young adults (aged 18–25 years) with ASD have worked for pay, and only 21% are in full-time employment (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2013; Roux et al., 2015). While some autistic people do find employment, many receive lower pay than their colleagues in comparable positions, they work in positions that they are overqualified for and end up working reduced hours (Howlin et al., 2004; Roux et al., 2015; Shattuck et al., 2012).

• Play Included Founder and Director,Dr. Gina Gomez de la Cuesta,is an HCPC registered clinical psychologist. Gina studied experimental psychology at the University of Oxford and did a PGCE teacher training course prior to completing a PhD at the Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge and a doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of East Anglia. She has worked in many roles, including as Action Research Leader for the National Autistic Society and as a Clinical Psychologist in in the NHS. Since 2018, Gina has been supported by Cambridge Social Ventures, part of the University of Cambridge Judge Business School. They supported her in founding Bricks for Autism C.I.C. (now known as Play Included). Play Included's mission is to share best practice in the Brick-by-Brick programme and to enable others to use this playful, effective programme in their schools and services.

• Play Included Director, Dr Elinor Brett, is a Child and Educational Psychologist registered with the Health and Care Professions Council. Elinor has been working as an Educational Psychologist since she qualified in 2013, supporting children with a range of Special Educational Needs in schools. Elinor conducted research into the Brick-by-Brick programme (known at the time as LEGO® Based Therapy) as part of her doctorate, in which she explored outcomes for children participating in the programme in schools. Elinor has offered training to professionals since 2015, and she joined Gina as Co-Director of Play Included in 2018.

• Play Included are advised by paid autistic consultants in the development and testing of their resources and materials. They are in the process of developing a full advisory board to ensure their organisation, resources and materials are autism friendly.

• Dr Dan LeGoff, paediatric neuropsychologist and expert in using LEGO bricks to support autistic children (pioneer of the concept behind the Brick-by-Brick programme known as LEGO based therapy), is an Ambassador and Adviser for Play Included.

• Dr Jenny Gibson, Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer in Psychology and Education in the PEDAL (Play in Education Development and Learning) research team at the University of Cambridge is an Adviser of Play Included.

• Play Included work closely with the National Autistic Society to review their resources and materials. National Autistic Society is the UK's leading charity for people on the autism spectrum and their families. Since 1962, they have been providing support, guidance and advice, as well as campaigning for improved rights, services and opportunities to help create a society that works for autistic people.

Founded in 2018, Play Included is the leading resource in the Brick-by-Brick™ programme, a learning through play concept for young people who need support to develop social communication, such as young people on the autism spectrum.

We act as a Learning Centre, ensuring young people achieve the best outcomes through professional training, resources, partnerships and research. Our mission is to make sure every child has access to positive social experiences and has the chance to make friends through play.

The LEGO Foundation aims to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow; a mission that it shares with the LEGO Group. The LEGO Foundation is dedicated to building a future where learning through play empowers children to become creative, engaged, lifelong learners. Its work is about re-defining play and re-imagining learning. In collaboration with thought leaders, influencers, educators and parents the LEGO Foundation aims to equip, inspire and activate champions for play.