Document Type
Paper
Publication Date
Fall 2025
Abstract
The power of play lies in its natural expression which children speak. When engaged in safe play, children are allowed to explore, comprehend, connect, and communicate in a developmentally appropriate way without criticism. Yet those who are impacted by ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experience) often find play foreign as they are stuck in survival mode, missing the developmental benefits of safe play. This paper examines the role of play in childhood development, explains the relationship between ACEs, trauma and play, and suggests that play is a natural agent of change that carries therapeutic power. The paper supports play as a medium that shifts focus away from deficits to fostering resiliency, especially in the power to heal externalizing, internalizing, somatosensory, and sensory problems.
Recommended Citation
Chen, Jingyu, "The Natural Agent of Change: The Therapeutic Power of Play to Children Who Have Experienced ACEs and Trauma" (2025). Orphans and Vulnerable Children Senior Capstone. 2.
https://pillars.taylor.edu/ovc-senior-capstone/2
Included in
Child Psychology Commons, Developmental Psychology Commons, History Commons, Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures Commons, Social Justice Commons
Notes
Course: OVC 493, OVC Senior Capstone (Dr. Carol Sisson)