This book helps support developmentally sensitive nursing and allied health practice by integrating the therapeutic powers of play into child and adolescent health care service provision. It is designed to link play, child development, neuroscience, biopsychosocial and attachment theories with the biomedical model of health.

Nurses and allied health professionals work with children aged between 0-18 years and with diverse childhood illnesses, injuries, diseases, disorders, and conditions, and are therefore in a prime position to understand and support children through potentially painful and traumatic health care experiences. Understanding of the role of play and the application of the therapeutic powers of play in communicating with children and families has the potential to significantly optimise paediatric care. The theory and play based strategies, tools and techniques presented in this book assist nurses and health care professionals to engage with children in an age-appropriate manner and ‘speak’ with children through their natural language of play, to enhance comprehension, coping, resiliency, and healing.

Play is recognised as a sequentially developing ability and can be aligned with the child’s age and stage of life. Play based approaches can be placed on a continuum from fully child led or non-directive play to adult facilitated educative play. Medical information can be tailored according to the various points along this continuum to inform clinical reasoning and to help children prepare for procedures, recover from medical interventions and / or make sense of their diagnosis.

Whilst this book is directed at nurses and allied health professionals who work with children and their families, it may also be a valuable resource for medical and other professionals in community or educational settings to work systemically as a team. The book takes the reader on a journey to illustrate various professional and therapeutic roles in how to playfully engage children through a range of case vignettes.