Gender Differences in the Object-Oriented Play of Preschoolers with Cognitive Delays

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Abstract
Gender differences in the play of preschool children with cognitive delays were investigated. Twelve dependent variables representing categorical and sequential play were coded from observations of 18 boys and 12 girls playing during an independent-play session at home. Boys and girls were observed to play differentially with three toy sets (mixed, doll, and vehicle) with which they were presented. Overall, boys engaged in more functional play than girls and were more sophisticated when playing with the vehicle toy set. Girls, however, engaged in more constructive play than boys and demonstrated a tendency for greater sophistication with respect to the doll toys. The implications of these findings are discussed in comparison with the research of the play of children without cognitive delays.