The joy of container play: Exploring play development and understanding of how things work
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The joy of container play: Exploring play development and understanding of how things work

Have you heard the term ‘Container play’? I use this very often with children in my sessions as it is so versatile and an enjoyable activity that can be done in parallel with a child or together. Container play is a powerful tool for fostering development in young children, especially those with developmental delays. This seemingly mundane activity provides a rich environment for sensory exploration, motor skill development, and cognitive growth.

What is container play?

Container play involves children interacting with various containers—boxes, buckets, bowls, cups, various bags, etc.—and filling, emptying, and transferring objects within and between them. Objects can include literally anything: small beads, bead chains, table tennis balls, wooden pegs, dinosaurs or any other little person toy, blocks of varying sizes, sand, water, or any other safe material. Larger containers obviously take larger items: socks, stuffed animals, bigger balls, bigger blocks etc really the choices are endless.

Benefits for children with developmental delays:

Sensory exploration:

  • Touch: Children explore different textures and temperatures of containers and objects.
  • Sight: They observe how objects look inside and outside the containers, how light reflects off them, and how colours change.
  • Sound: They listen to the sounds of objects clinking, rattling, and splashing.
  • Proprioception: Filling and emptying containers helps develop body awareness and spatial awareness.

For neurodivergent children who might have sensory regulation difficulties, consider the following adaptions to accommodate your child’s sensory needs:

  • Over-stimulation: For children who are easily overstimulated, start with simple setups using a limited number of containers and objects. Gradually increase the complexity as they tolerate it.
  • Under-stimulation: For children who seek sensory input, provide a variety of textures and materials, such as sand, water, slime, or beans.
  • Temperature: Offer a variety of temperature options. Some children may enjoy warm water or cool sand.
  • Lighting: Adjust the lighting to create a calming or stimulating environment.
  • Focus on one sense at a time: Initially, focus on one sensory aspect, such as the feel of sand or the sound of water.
  • Weighted containers: Use heavy containers filled with rice or beans to provide deep pressure input.
  • Fidget toys: Incorporate fidget toys into the activity to provide sensory input and help with self-regulation.
  • Tactile exploration: Encourage exploration of different textures using objects with varying surfaces.

Fine motor skill development:

  • Hand-eye coordination: Scooping, pouring, and transferring objects require precise hand-eye coordination.
  • Pincer grasp: Picking up small objects helps develop fine motor skills like the pincer grasp.
  • Strength and dexterity: Manipulating containers and objects strengthens hand muscles and improves dexterity. Opening and closing containers can be a huge area of interest; how does the top screw back on, or off?

Cognitive development:

  • Cause and effect: Children learn that their actions (e.g., pouring water or sand) have consequences (e.g., the water spills).
  • Spatial awareness: They develop an understanding of concepts like inside, outside, full, empty, and over/under; also how big is the vessel and how much goes in before it’s full or spills over. How small is the vessel opening and what do I need to do to get the beads into the container.
  • Problem-solving: Children learn to solve problems, such as how to get an object out of a narrow container or how to transfer water without spilling.

Social and emotional development:

  • Communication: Container play can encourage communication as children interact with others, sharing toys and commenting on their actions. Asking for help to open and close a container is often a great opportunity to practise ‘help me’ or ‘open it’
  • Turn-taking: Sharing containers and materials helps children learn to take turns and cooperate.
  • Sensory regulation: For children with sensory sensitivities, container play can be a calming and self-regulating activity.

Tips for engaging children in container play:

  • Create a safe and inviting environment. A shower curtain on the floor makes things easier for tidy up afterwards. And it allows for spillages.
  • Provide a variety of containers: Use different sizes, shapes, and materials. Use containers that are visually interesting and pleasing, perhaps a festive biscuit tin, or a tin that looks like train engine. Use see-through containers at first which make the filling and emptying more obvious. This is important for children who have no previous experience with this type of play and need to ‘warm up’ to it. Once a child loves and is used to container play you can go wild with all types of containers.
  • Offer a variety of objects: Include balls, blocks, sand, water, and other age-appropriate materials.
  • Join in the fun! Start off the process, show your child what the joy of the activity is for yourself, how fun it is to fill and empty containers, provide enough containers for your child to start playing alongside you, and comment on their actions.
  • Follow your child’s lead: Allow them to explore and experiment at their own pace.
  • Adapt activities: Adjust the level of challenge based on your child’s abilities and interests.

Container play is a simple yet powerful tool that can support the overall development of young children, especially those with developmental delays. By providing a rich and engaging sensory experience, container play can help children build essential skills in motor, cognitive, social, and emotional domains.

If you have any questions or would like to have more in-depths demonstration of this or other play styles for your child please contact me.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sonja McGeachie

Early Intervention Speech and Language Therapist

Feeding and Dysphagia (Swallowing) Specialist The London Speech and Feeding Practice

The London Speech and Feeding Practice


Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

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Feeding therapy: A guide for parents and caregivers
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Feeding therapy: A guide for parents and caregivers

Feeding therapy is a specialised form of therapy and support that helps children develop healthy eating habits and overcome challenges related to food. It’s often used for children with picky eating, feeding disorders, or sensory processing issues.

What is feeding therapy?

Feeding therapy involves a series of techniques designed to improve a child’s eating skills and attitudes towards food. In the UK it’s typically provided by speech and language therapists and dietitians. These professionals work closely with parents and caregivers to create a personalised treatment plan tailored to each child’s unique needs.

How does feeding therapy work?

Feeding therapy sessions are typically 30–60 minutes long and involve a variety of techniques, including:

  • Family counselling: Providing support and guidance to parents and caregivers. This can help address any practical, behavioural and emotional issues that may be impacting the child’s eating.
  • Play-based activities: Engaging children in fun activities while introducing new foods or textures. This can help alleviate anxiety and make mealtimes more enjoyable.
  • Sensory exploration: Helping children become more comfortable with different tastes, smells, and textures. This can be achieved through activities like touching, smelling, and tasting various foods.
  • Oral motor exercises: Improving chewing, swallowing, and lip coordination. These exercises can help children develop the necessary skills for eating independently.
  • Behavioural techniques: Using positive reinforcement to encourage healthy eating habits. This can involve rewarding children for trying new foods or eating a variety of meals.

When is feeding therapy needed?

Feeding therapy may be beneficial for children who:

  • Are picky eaters: Refuse to eat a variety of foods or have strong preferences.
  • Have feeding disorders: Experience difficulties with eating, such as swallowing or chewing.
  • Have sensory processing issues: Are sensitive to certain textures, smells, or tastes.
  • Have medical conditions: Such as autism, cerebral palsy, or gastrointestinal disorders.

Feeding therapy strategies you can try at home

While professional feeding therapy can be invaluable, there are several techniques you can try at home to support your child’s eating development:

  • Create a positive mealtime environment: Make mealtimes enjoyable and stress-free by avoiding distractions, limiting screen time, and creating a calm atmosphere.
  • Create regular mealtimes and mealtime routines: Introduce set ways of announcing meal times, including songs or short nursery rhymes, try and involve your child with table setting, even just carrying their spoon to the table and putting the beaker next to the plate and ensure that meal time finishes after about 30 minutes, again with a set routine so that the child always knows: this is how we do it in our home, now I am finished and meal time is over.
  • Introduce new foods gradually: Start with small amounts and gradually increase exposure. This can help reduce anxiety and make new foods less overwhelming.
  • Model healthy eating: Show your child how to enjoy a variety of foods by eating a balanced diet yourself.
  • Avoid forcing food: Allow your child to choose and explore foods at their own pace. Forcing them to eat can create negative associations with food.

Seek professional help

If you’re concerned about your child’s eating habits, consult with a feeding therapist. We can provide guidance and support.

Remember, feeding therapy is a collaborative process between parents, caregivers, and professionals. With patience, understanding, and the right strategies, you can help your child develop healthy eating habits and enjoy meals.

Would you like to know more about specific techniques or have any other questions about feeding therapy?

Please feel free to contact me.

Sonja McGeachie

Early Intervention Speech and Language Therapist

Feeding and Dysphagia (Swallowing) Specialist The London Speech and Feeding Practice

The London Speech and Feeding Practice


Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

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The power of containment: A therapeutic approach for autistic children
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The power of containment: A therapeutic approach for autistic children

Photo by lemonlenz

The practice of wrapping or swaddling children, often referred to as ‘containment,’ has been used for centuries to soothe and comfort infants. I use this therapeutic approach with autistic children at the London Speech and Feeding Practice. While it might seem counterintuitive, the act of being tightly wrapped can provide significant benefits for children who struggle with sensory processing, emotional regulation, and communication.

Understanding sensory processing and autism

Autistic persons often experience challenges with sensory processing, which is their brain’s ability to interpret and respond to sensory information. This can lead to sensory overload or under-responsivity. Containment can be a valuable tool in helping children regulate their sensory input.

Photo by lemonlenz

To summarise, here are some of the benefits of containment:

  • Sensory Regulation:
    • Provides deep pressure input: The tight, enveloping sensation of being wrapped can provide deep pressure input, which is calming and organising for many children.
    • Reduces sensory overload: By creating a controlled sensory environment, containment can help to reduce overstimulation and promote a sense of safety.
  • Emotional Regulation:
    • Containment creates a sense of security: Being wrapped tightly can mimic the feeling of being in the womb, providing a sense of security and comfort.
    • Facilitates calming: The deep pressure input can help to calm the nervous system and reduce anxiety.
  • Improved Body Awareness:
    • Enhances proprioception: Containment can improve the child’s awareness of their body in space, which is essential for motor development and sensory integration. I often provide extra pressure on a child’s arms and legs sticking out of the yoga mat; this helps my child understand where their limbs are in space: I can feel my legs and I can feel my arms and I can feel where they are right now, i.e. they are under Sonja’s hand, I can feel them.
  • Facilitates Communication – and this is obviously where I come in as a Speech and Language Therapist:
    • Swaddling creates a safe space: When a child feels calm and secure, they are more likely to engage in communication.
    • Enhances joint attention: The shared experience of being wrapped can foster joint attention, which is essential for language development. You can see this one in my highlights where I swaddle my student in the yoga mat (picture above). She absolutely loves it, and what is more she is calm and steady when usually this child likes to be on the move constantly. Here we have a wonderful moment of joint engagement. She looks at me, she can listen to what I say or sing, and she can tell me in her own way to carry on rolling her or to carry on singing or providing calming pressure to her legs and arms or to stop.

A few pointers for when you try this at home: How to practise containment safely and effectively

  • Create a safe environment: Ensure the wrapping material is soft, breathable, and free from any hazards.
  • Observe your child’s cues: Pay attention to your child’s body language and verbal cues to determine their comfort level.
  • Respect your child’s boundaries: If your child shows signs of distress, stop the containment immediately – this might seem obvious but sometimes we adults get so carried away with some ‘great idea’ that we have seen work elsewhere. And so we can be a little too ‘determined’ sometimes to ‘make it happen’… perhaps this rings a bell with some of my readers.
  • MAKE IT FUN: Start carefully and take it step by step. See if the student is having a nice time. It is all about trust and therefore it might not work the very first time you do it.

It’s important to remember that containment is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Some children may respond better to other sensory-based interventions. However, for many autistic children containment can be a valuable tool in their journey towards improved communication and emotional regulation.

For more information follow me on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn.

Sonja McGeachie

Early Intervention Speech and Language Therapist

Feeding and Dysphagia (Swallowing) Specialist The London Speech and Feeding Practice

The London Speech and Feeding Practice


Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

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Creating your calm
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Creating your calm: containment strategies for Sensory Processing Difficulties

The world can be a beautiful and stimulating place, but for individuals with Sensory Processing difficulties (SPD), it can also be overwhelming and even painful. Everyday sights, sounds, smells, touches, and tastes can be amplified to uncomfortable or even unbearable levels. This can lead to anxiety, meltdowns, and a constant feeling of being on edge.

One important coping mechanism for SPD is containment. Containment strategies are techniques that help individuals manage their sensory experiences and create a sense of calm and safety.

Understanding containment needs:

Containment needs vary greatly from person to person. Some individuals might find comfort in deep pressure, while others might crave quiet and solitude.

Common containment strategies:

Here are some examples of containment strategies that can be helpful for individuals with SPD:

  • Deep pressure: This can involve activities like wearing weighted vests, using weighted blankets, getting firm hugs, or applying deep pressure massage.
  • Movement: Engaging in rhythmic movements like rocking, swinging, or jumping can be calming for some individuals.
  • Proprioceptive input: Activities that involve proprioception, the sense of body awareness, can be grounding. Examples include yoga, stretching, and proprioceptive toys like chewy necklaces or fidget spinners.
  • Visual calming: Utilising calming visuals like nature scenes, dimmed lights, or fidget toys with visual patterns can provide a sense of peace.
  • Auditory modifications: Noise-blocking headphones, earplugs, or white noise machines can help block out distracting or overwhelming sounds.
  • Oral motor activities: Chewing gum, crunchy snacks, or chewy toys can provide sensory input and help regulate emotions.
  • Sensory bottles: Watching calming visuals move within a liquid-filled bottle can be visually stimulating and promote focus.
  • Creating a safe space: Having a designated quiet area at home or school where individuals can retreat to self-regulate can be invaluable. This space should be free from clutter and overwhelming stimuli and can include calming sensory items.

Additional tips:

  • Be patient and understanding: It takes time and practice to find what works best for each individual. Be patient with yourself or your child as you explore different strategies.
  • Consistency is key: Once you find effective strategies, use them consistently in different settings to create a sense of predictability and comfort.
  • Communicate openly: Talk to teachers, caregivers, and others about individual needs and how they can support containment strategies.
  • Celebrate progress: No matter how small, acknowledge and celebrate successes in managing sensory experiences.

Remember:

Containment is not about suppressing sensory experiences altogether. It’s about creating a sense of control and reducing overwhelming sensations to a manageable level. By exploring different strategies and working with a qualified professional, individuals with SPD can develop the tools they need to navigate the world and experience life to the fullest.

Do get in touch if you would like some in-person or on-line 1:1 support with this. It can be overwhelming to figure it all out alone.


Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

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Milestones of autistic chidren
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Milestones of Autistic Children: Crawling, Walking, and Talking

For all children every milestone achieved is a testament to the unique and intricate process unfolding within each young mind. For autistic children, this journey may present a distinct pattern, with some reaching developmental milestones like crawling, walking, and talking later than their neurotypical peers. Let’s have a look into the fascinating realm of Autism and explore why some autistic children might crawl, walk, and talk later, shedding light on the underlying factors contributing to this unique way of developing.

1. Individual Pacing:

Child development is not a one-size-fits-all journey. Each child, whether neurotypical or autistic, has a unique timeline for achieving milestones. Autistic children, like any other children, follow their own pacing. This individual rhythm might lead them to focus on one set of skills before they progress to others. Like some neurotypical children might focus on talking earlier than walking, autistic children might prioritise other areas before crawling or talking.

2. Neurodevelopmental Complexity:

The human brain is a remarkable entity, with a bewildering array of interconnected processes that lead to us achieving our developmental milestones. Autistic children often have variations in “neural wiring”, which can impact the balance between gross motor skills (crawling, walking) and fine motor skills. Speech and language acquisition falls under fine motor skills and may be momentarily disrupted due to the divergent neurological pathways at play in autism.

2. Sensory Processing Differences:

One of the hallmarks of autism is altered sensory processing. Autistic children often experience sensory stimuli differently than their neurotypical peers. This heightened or diminished sensitivity can influence a child’s desire or ability to engage in activities like crawling and walking. The sensation of movement while crawling or walking, for instance, might be overwhelming for some autistic children, causing them to either avoid or delay these activities.

3. Visual-Spatial Abilities:

Autistic children and adults frequently display excellent visual-spatial abilities. This strength might lead some children to focus more on activities that engage these skills, potentially delaying their engagement with activities like walking or talking. As they navigate their environment and process information visually, they might naturally invest more time in activities that stimulate this particular cognitive ability and strength.

4. Communication Challenges:

For many autistic children, speaking can be a really complex and difficult endeavour. Communication delays are a common feature of autism. This can affect both receptive and expressive language development. While some children might be physically capable of crawling or walking, they may not yet have the tools to communicate their desires and intentions. This leads to a temporary focus on non-speaking forms of expression. This does not mean that they do not communicate at all. But autistic individuals often start out using jargoning or echolalia as a form of communication as well as behaviours and physical forms of communication.

5. Executive Functioning and Motor Skills:

Executive functioning, or abilities for planning, organising, and carrying out tasks, can vary in autistic children. These skills are crucial for activities like crawling, walking, and talking, which need coordination and planning. About 40% of autistic persons have a motor planning difficulty.

6. Intense Interests and Routines:

Autistic children often develop intense interests in specific subjects, sometimes to the exclusion of other activities. These interests might become their primary mode of engagement. They might side-line milestones like crawling, walking, or talking. The mostly rigid adherence to routines and preferences might cause them to allocate more time to their preferred activities. This delays their engagement with other developmental tasks.

How can Speech and Language Therapy help:

Support and Intervention:

Early intervention and regular Speech and Language Therapy play a pivotal role in the developmental journey of autistic children. Therapies tailored to individual needs can aid in bridging the gaps between milestones. Occupational therapy, for example, can help address sensory sensitivities and motor skill challenges that might impact crawling and walking. Speech therapy can help communication development, gradually bridging the gap between non-verbal expressions and spoken language.

For example, we now know that echolalia or jargoning of longer phrases with intonation, repeating scripts from favourite tv shows or songs have many meanings and communicative functions. For example, a child who utters long strings of echolalic utterances, often difficult to understand, might want to do any one of the following:

  • Comment
  • greet
  • ask a question
  • make a request
  • express surprise
  • negate something.

We now understand that the way to support a child with echolalia is to acknowledge all utterances and try and find out what the meaning is behind these scripts. This is very supportive. Over time it will lead a child to move on to understanding and saying more clear and self-generated language. For more information about this Natural Language Acquisition here are some other great websites for you to look at:

Conclusion

In conclusion, the journey of an autistic child’s development is a testament to the uniqueness and complexity of the human mind. The delays or differences in achieving milestones like crawling, walking, and talking can be attributed to a range of factors, including

  • neurodevelopmental intricacies,
  • sensory processing variations,
  • and communication challenges.

It’s crucial to recognise that these delays are not indicative of a lack of potential, but rather a manifestation of the intricate interplay between an autistic child’s strengths and challenges. By embracing these differences and providing tailored support, we can help each autistic child unfold their potential at their own pace.

Do get in touch if you would like to book an appointment where we can explore how to help your child develop and thrive

Do get in touch if you would like to book an appointment where we can explore how to help your child develop and thrive


Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

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