Department of Public and Community Health School of Public Health University of West Attica, Greece.
Received on 01 July 2024; revised on 08 August 2024; accepted on 10 August 2024
Background: Neurodevelopmental disorders can have a significant impact on the cognitive and social-emotional development of children, making it a crucial health concern affecting over 3% of children globally.
Aims: The purpose of this paper is to conduct a thorough and systematic review of existing literature on neurodevelopmental disorders and the potential benefits of educational play in improving daily life skills.
Methods and procedures: Through extensive research on Scopus and PubMed, we discovered 209 relevant publications covering the years between 2011 and 2022.
Outcomes and results: 19 surveys highlighted the positive effects of educational play, with particular emphasis on sensory play.
Conclusions and implications: The systematic review revealed that educational play can enhance critical executive functions like self-regulation and concentration, ultimately promoting daily life skills and social interaction with peers. Moving forward, we anticipate further research to explore the potential impact of sensory play on cognitive and communication deficits in children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
Neurodevelopmental disorders; Educational play; Play therapy; Sensory integration; Messy play; Skills
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Agathi Stathopoulou, Katerina Skarmoutsou, Areti Dimitra Koulouvari, Artemis Margariti, Evanthia Sakellari and Areti Lagiou. lntervention programs to strengthen living skills in children with neurodevelopmental disorders through educational play. World Journal of Biology Pharmacy and Health Sciences, 2024, 19(02), 218–229. Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.30574/wjbphs.2024.19.2.0521