Abstract

Objective: To measure the effectiveness of play therapy in enhancing social skills in pre-diagnosed intellectually disabled children of mild and moderate level.
Methodology: The study comprised of 10 intellectually disabled children of mild and moderate level of ages 5-15 from Army Special Education Academy, Rawalpindi. Pre-test and post-test were used in experimental and control group. Social Skills Checklist by Heather Thomas (2013) was administered. Paired sample t-test of pre and post-test showed significant difference in pre-test and post-test scores.
Result: Difference in the pre and post-test measures were observed to be statistically significant for the social skills observed in the children with intellectual disability.
Conclusion: The results provide evidence that play therapy is an effective way to enhance social skills in intellectually disabled children.

Key words: Play therapy, social skills, intellectually disabled children, Social Skills Checklist.