Written by Katie Curran, MAPP

In conversations about autism and well-being, play is often misunderstood or overlooked entirely.

Too often, play is framed as a childhood activity, a break from “real” learning, or something to be earned after more productive work is done. For autistic individuals, this perspective can be especially limiting.

But play is not a reward. It is a biological, psychological, and social need (Brown, 2009; National Institute for Play, n.d.).

Across the lifespan, play supports emotional regulation, sensory integration, creativity, connection, and meaning. For autistic and neurodivergent people, play can be one of the most accessible and authentic pathways to well-being when we give permission for it to exist on their terms.

Play is often narrowly defined as pretend games, sports, or social interaction. Yet research and lived experience tell a broader story.

According to the National Institute for Play, play is a state of mind as much as an activity that is voluntary, intrinsically motivated, flexible, and pleasurable (National Institute for Play, n.d.). Stuart Brown, M.D., describes play as a biological drive, as fundamental to human development as sleep or attachment. In Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul, Brown documents how play shapes neural........

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