Play:cademy

Play:cademy is for parents and caregivers of autistic children aged 18 months to 5 years 11 months who want to better understand their child’s communication, strengthen moments of connection, and feel more confident supporting their child’s development through play.

We combine video-based reflection with live, in-the-moment coaching to help you discover how your child communicates, how to join their ideas, and how to create more moments of joy and shared understanding.

Everything happens in your home, through a secure video link, with a dedicated coach accompanying you step by step.

Play:cademy is funded by  the Sir Halley Stewart Foundation and The Stephen Lloyd Awards. We are grateful for these organisations’ generosity, which will enable children to receive the support they need, fulfil their potential and live happy fulfilling lives.

How the programme works

Real-time coaching:

Your Play Coach joins you, for example on your laptop, and communicates with you through a small audio earpiece while you play with your child. You remain fully in charge of the interaction – the coach is simply there as a supportive resource that you can draw on whenever you choose.

Video reflection:

As a next step, you and your coach review a few selected moments from your recorded play. This helps you see your child’s cues with fresh eyes and strengthen what already works well. You then choose together which strategies to practise over the coming two weeks.

Peer support:

You join a small group of other parents on the programme. These groups run on alternating weeks and offer encouragement, shared experience, and the reassurance of not being alone.

What parents often notice

Every child and every family is different, so outcomes are individual – but families commonly tell us they experience:

For children

(1) More moments of shared attention, connection, and joyful back-and-forth play.

(2) Clearer, more responsive communication and interaction with family members.

(3) A growing sense of being understood and supported in everyday life.

For parents

(1) A clearer understanding of your child’s communication cues and play initiatives

(2) More confidence in joining your child’s play and supporting their engagement

(3) A growing trust in your own intuition — and with that, less stress in everyday interactions

Enrolling

The Play:cademy is currently free of charge. To enrol, you commit to meeting with your Play Coach for around 90 minutes a week  and to trying out and practising small strategies and ideas between sessions. You will also join a small group of other Play:cademy parents to reflect, share experiences, and learn together.

We also ask you to complete a short pre- and post-programme questionnaire about your experience. Your responses will be used anonymously to help us continue improving and researching the programme.

To register, simply fill in the form below: