Traditional perspectives consider that among the characteristics of autism is the inability or great difficulty these children have for engaging in play activities. However, assuming the historical-cultural perspective of human development - which conceives of subjects as social beings, culturally constituted in and through language - this statement is no longer sustainable, since play is a socially constituted activity. From this standpoint, this study aimed to analyze the peculiarities of play in a child with autism, immersed in rich experiences with other children, with toys and games. Data collection was carried out using video recordings of speech therapy sessions with a group of four autistic children. The focus was on one child's play activities (S1, four years). The recordings were transcribed and data was analyzed based on the microgenetic analysis perspective. The data showed that when autistic children experience positive social interactions, it is possible to develop play, imaginative processes and sequences of actions such as those observed in the group's social and cultural use of toys. We conclude that therapist intervention is critical during the interaction process, assigning meanings to the child's actions, enabling the possibility of constitution of cultural being and of interacting with others. This process helps build the basis for internalizations derived from playing with others. As observed, experiences outside the institution provided opportunities to play and develop during the process, albeit more slowly and more specifically.
Special Education; Autism; Child; Social Interaction; Language