Restoration of play in a severely burned three-year-old child.

The critical importance of play in a child's life and, more specifically, to successful adaptation to trauma and disability is illustrated in the case report of a severely burned 3-year-old. Loss of interest in play is frequently seen in depressed children and in children whose physical ability to play has been constrained by physical illness, injury, or acquired disability. Play is important to the development of cognition, affectivity, and social learning, dimensions central to coping behavior. The aim of therapeutic treatment of a child whose interest in and ability to play have significantly declined is to physically and psychologically mobilize the patient to restore play and to free up the emotions, enhancing the child's ability to actively participate in and optimally benefit from the rehabilitation program. Clinical analysis of a 3-year-old's symbolic play and therapeutic interventions are presented.