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Play Doh Actions

March 11, 2025/
Close up of play doh, Michael playing with it and his iPad screen reading 'can we play? I would like to play with play doh.'
Michael will still use the carrier phrase from his talking iPad, "Can we play?" then add what he wants to do next, like, "Can I watch a DVD now?"

When Mikey was small, we used play doh to demonstrate many different action words.  We taught these actions by modeling them with play doh and letting Mikey copy us.

  1. Push
  2. Roll
  3. Poke
  4. Squeeze/squash
  5. Cut
  6. Press
  7. Pull
  8. Pat

And, this list doesn’t even count the accessory verbs that go along with play doh. For example, we open the container, we take out the play doh, we clean up, and we put on the lid (or else we’ll have dried out play doh next time we want to play.

journal entry from March 11. "on the snow days last week, I played with play doh.
Multiple snow days in one week? Independent play time was a must!

Proloquo2Go

The ‘Can we play?’ button spoke those words, but it also opened a page of play options. Each button had a full sentence programmed to model speaking in full sentences and to make Michael’s purpose clear.  Instead of having the ipad programmed to say only ‘play doh’, it said, “I would like to play with play doh.” The program is completely customizable to give your child whatever level of communication support they need.

Multiple Snow Days?

Mikey needed complete sentences on his ipad and with multiple snow days in one week, I’m sure this mom needed Mikey to do some independent playtime with play doh. Wink.

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Erica Mauro

About the Author

Erica Mauro is a mom to two teenage boys, Will who is neurotypical and Michael with Autism and cognitive delays. She holds a BA in Psychology from Colgate University and a Masters of Psychology in Education from Columbia Teacher’s College. Before staying home with her children, she worked as an elementary school teacher. For five years, she served on the Board of Directors of the Molly Ann Tango Memorial Foundation, a charity dedicated to enriching the lives of children with special needs. In partnership with her husband Dave, she aspires to parent by using daily life as an opportunity for therapeutic intervention, seizing on real experiences as opportunities to build skills and strategies for Michael in a joyful, loving home environment. On the tougher early days, she just tried to get everyone safely to bedtime and start fresh in the morning. *wink* 😉

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