LEGO is the brand name of a popular series of construction toys produced by the Danish company LEGO Group and sold internationally. LEGO toys use plastic pieces, known as bricks, to create a variety of objects, including buildings, vehicles, and items/scenes representing popular film franchises. LEGO therapy is a set of therapeutic techniques and group-based tasks that use LEGO blocks or similar toy construction block products to encourage social interaction and verbal and nonverbal communication among children with developmental disorders.
LEGO therapy has been embraced as an emerging tool for coping with autism and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a group of lifelong neurodevelopmental disorders that among other things are characterized by cognitive impairment and difficulties with social interactions and communicating verbally and nonverbally. Since LEGO therapy was first integrated into ASD play therapy models in the 1990s, variations on the technique have spread throughout Europe and North America and are now used in a variety of play-therapy settings to teach a variety of skills to infants, children, and adolescents with ASD.
Background
The earliest research studies in LEGO therapy were published by Dr. Daniel LeGoff, who is credited as the technique’s forerunner and who is a specialist in pediatric neuropsychology and in the assessment and treatment of neurodevelopmental and neurobehavioral conditions in infants and children. LeGoff ’s inspiration for LEGO therapy came from a coincidental encounter between two patients who both happened to bring LEGO creations to his waiting area on the same day. Though the two young boys, both with Asperger syndrome, seemed to ignore each other during previous meetings, they became interested in interacting when each arrived with LEGO models. LeGoff was inspired to use this interest in LEGO creations to form a new play therapy technique.
In his 2004 research paper on the subject, LeGoff describes the basic model for his method of LEGO therapy, which involves the formation of small interactive groups that cooperate to complete LEGO-based projects. Each participant is given individual and joint roles within the group and is asked to follow interactive rules that help guide the ways in which they interact with others in the group. In addition to group interactions, each participant is encouraged to use LEGO blocks individually. Group members also intermittently interact with therapists who help with the development and use of attention skills, turn taking, eye contact while communicating, and conversation skills. LeGoff’s initial study involved forty-seven children and took place over twelve weeks. The study indicated that participants made statistically significant gains in interactivity with one another and with therapists, including in the frequency of self-initiated interactions with other group members and in the duration of a typical interaction. In 2006, the journal Autism published further research by LeGoff and colleagues, including a three-year follow-up evaluation of participants in original LEGO therapy projects. According to the follow-up study, participants in LEGO therapy programs achieved significantly higher levels of improvement than did patients with autism spectrum disorder who participated in alternative, non-LEGO therapeutic programs. Since the late 2000s, a large number of ASD support and research organizations have adopted LEGO therapy as an alternative or a supplementary tool in treating brain development disorders.
Impact
In 2014, researchers studying and evaluating LEGO-based therapy as a method for treating autism spectrum disorders include Dr. Gina Gómez de la Cuesta, a former LeGoff student and a graduate of the Cambridge University Autism Research Centre; Dr. G. W. Krauss of the Y.A.L.E. Schools, a group of schools in New Jersey and Pennsylvania for students with developmental and learning disabilities; and Dr. Chris Rogers of the Center for Engineering Education and Outreach (CEEO) at Boston’s Tufts University. Rogers pioneered a study using LEGO robotics products in therapeutic workshops. In addition, the National Autistic Society of England and the Autism Research Centre have adopted LEGO therapy into their recommended treatment options for ASD patients.
In 2014, LeGoff and others collaborated on the book LEGO
®
-Based Therapy: How to Build Social Competence through LEGO
®
-Based Clubs for Children with Autism and Related Conditions. The book provides instructional guidance for ASD therapists and educators and describes the process of integrating LEGO-based therapy programs into treatment options. Detailed descriptions are also given on how to lead individual and group LEGO therapy sessions. The process begins by introducing prospective members of LEGO clubs to the rules and basic skills needed to start building with LEGO or similar construction blocks. Participants are then gathered into small groups, called LEGO Clubs, containing some individuals with ASD as well as others who do not have diagnosed functional disorders. The groups meet regularly (once a week is recommended) for ninety-minute sessions in order to fully participate in collaborative building projects.
An important component of LEGO therapy is the division of the group into various roles, which include supplier, builder, director, and engineer. For instance, some participants may be assigned to connect LEGO blocks together, while another member may be assigned to sort and organize the brick supply by color and size, and another individual may be assigned to design and plan the overall project. During the course of the program, roles are rotated among group members. This allows participants to experiment with, be exposed to, and learn to interact with other group members using verbal and nonverbal communication skills. Therapists are encouraged to create systems that allow for positive reinforcement to be given in the form of rewards and praise, which will encourage individual members and the group as a whole to work toward achieving various group goals.
LEGO therapy makes use of the tendency of many with ASD to gravitate toward systematic and repetitive activities, which then encourages continued involvement in the LEGO therapy groups and marked improvement in communication and social skills. As therapy sessions advance, participants have the opportunity to practice communicating emotions and desires to their group members and to therapists who oversee the groups. Behavior is then modified in order to engage more positively and appropriately with the group.
Research on the benefits of LEGO therapy is ongoing and has been used in the robotics field with a humanoid robot in order to study human-robot interactions and the potential benefits of robotics therapy. The study found that long-term use of LEGO therapy involving a humanoid robot resulted in significant improvement in interactive parameters among participants.
LEGO therapy is a relatively recent technique in play therapy for individuals with ASD, and additional studies are required to evaluate the potential of this and similar therapeutic methods. While LEGO therapy has been used primarily throughout North America and in some parts of Europe, the practice and acceptance of the technique has begun to spread internationally. Given the low initial investment and ease of implementation, LEGO therapy has the potential to become a common tool in treating ASD.
Bibliography
Barakova, Emilia I., et al. "Long-Term LEGO Therapy with Humanoid Robot for Children with ASD." Wiley Online Library. John Wiley, 13 Nov. 2014. Web. 21. Nov. 2014.
LeGoff, Daniel B. "Use of LEGO® as a Therapeutic Medium for Improving Social Competence." Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 34.5(2004): 557–71. Print.
LeGoff, Daniel B., and Michael Sherman. "Long-Term Outcome of Social Skills Intervention Based on Interactive LEGO® Play." Autism 10.4 (2006): 317–29. Print.
LeGoff, Daniel B., et al. LEGO
®
-Based Therapy: How to Build Social Competence through LEGO
®
-Based Clubs for Children with Autism and Related Conditions. Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley, 2014. Print.
"LEGO Therapy Expands at Y.A.L.E." Y.A.L.E. School. Y.A.L.E. School, 16 May 2011. Web. 21 Nov. 2014.
"Lego Therapy Offered to Children with Autism." BBC. BBC, 7 Aug. 2014. Web. 21 Nov. 2014.
"LEGO Therapy." ASDAID. ASD AID, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2014.
McCullough, Marie. "Legos: Building Blocks in Autism Therapy." OC Register. Orange County Register, 21 Aug. 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2014.
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