Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some common questions about Play Included and the Brick-by-Brick programme. If your question is not covered here, do get in touch and we will be happy to help!

Brick-by-Brick programme FAQ

What is difference between the “Brick-by-Brick®" Programme and LEGO®-based therapy (or LEGO therapy)?

The Brick-by-Brick® programme is the world’s leading thinking in LEGO® based therapy developed in partnership with The Lego Foundation. In the Brick-by-Brick programme, we are enhancing the resources and training to integrate neurodiversity, learning through play and playful facilitation. Much of the research and evidence that we currently have for the programme uses the ‘LEGO therapy’ terminology. Much of the current research being conducted uses the term ‘Play Brick therapy’.

Who is the “Brick-by-Brick” Programme for?

The Brick-by-Brick® programme is for children and young people, aged from preschool to adulthood who enjoy building LEGO® models and need support with social communication, friendships, or language. It was originally developed with young people on the autism spectrum in mind, who may be very able in some areas, but need extra support and encouragement to promote their social development.

Over the years, we’ve seen indications that any young person who enjoys LEGO® play and needs extra support with social interaction, language, communication and emotional wellbeing might benefit from the Brick-by-Brick® programme. LEGO® play is gender neutral.

What age is it suitable for?

The programme is very flexible and can be adapted to a wide range of ages, strengths and needs. We tend to recommend age 5 upwards due to the language demands involved. Facilitators need to adapt the activity and the type of LEGO or DUPLO used, depending on the age and needs of the children or young people in Brick Club.

What if a child doesn’t like LEGO?

If a child or young person does not like building LEGO models, then the Brick-by-Brick programme may not be the best approach to support them. You can try using the toys and activities they do enjoy to connect and play with others. Playing with others who share a common interest is a great way to make friends.

What is the evidence behind the Brick-by-Brick programme?

We know from research that play is fundamental for children’s positive development. Research studies have shown that LEGO-based therapy (on which the Brick-by-Brick programme is founded) has a positive impact on social communication and emotional wellbeing in young people on the autism spectrum.

Our team have been involved in the first large scale randomised controlled trial (called the I-SOCIALISE trial) that has recently been published. Findings indicated a small, significant positive effect of the

Research findings indicate that Play Brick therapy (such as the Brick-by-Brick programme) is a highly cost-effective programme for children. One study found that it was 94% likely that Play Brick therapy was cost-effective (Wang et al, 2020) meaning that participation in the programme marginally reduced long-term costs to other services.

Other research findings by Barr et al (2022) indicated that 95% of facilitators and 85% of parents said that Play Brick therapy was a worthwhile programme for children. In the same study, 95% of facilitators and 84% of parents reported that children had improved communication skills following Play Brick therapy. [JM1]

We also have an independent evaluation of the Brick-by-Brick programme conducted by AT Autism. Their findings told us that children taking part in Brick Clubs have fun, are motivated and make friends. Facilitators in the study also reported that Brick Clubs helped children to make friends, to feel less anxious and to make their own decisions.

For further information about the independent evaluation of our training, please see our ‘Training FAQs’ below.

We are passionate about research and want to encourage more high-quality studies to be carried out into the effectiveness of the Brick-by-Brick programme in different populations.

Training FAQ

When will the new training courses be ready?

We are currently designing and creating our new training courses. They will be ready in Autumn 2021. Sign up to our mailing list if you would like us to keep you updated.

How much will the training cost?

We have not yet set our pricing, but we aim to be accessible. The price will be announced when the training courses are ready. Sign up to our mailing list if you would like us to keep you updated.

What will the training involve?

The training will be partly online, and partly experiential workshops. The more advanced courses will involve more in depth training and case studies.

Who are the training courses suitable for?

Our training courses are suitable for professionals working with individuals who need extra support with social interaction, communication and friendship. Such professionals come from a wide range of backgrounds, such as teaching, health, special education, social work, speech and language therapy, play therapy and occupational therapy.

Can I buy resources from you?

We do not currently sell any kits or resources to use in Brick Clubs. In the future, people who train in the Brick-by-Brick programme will have access to resources to run their clubs. If you would like to be kept updated about new resources as they become available please sign up to our mailing list.

Parents FAQ

Will there be more resources for parents/carers?

Yes, we will be co-creating more home activities in the coming months. Sign up to our mailing list if you would like us to keep you updated.

Do you have courses for parents?

We do not currently run courses for parents. However, we do have some activities you can try with your child at home which we hope you find enjoyable.

Where can I access a Brick Club for my child?

We’re building Play Included brick by brick, so as our community grows, we’ll be able to provide a directory of certified Brick Clubs and facilitators in different parts of the world. In the meantime, the best way to access a Brick Club is to tell your child’s school, health or local community services all about the program and ask them to get in touch with us about getting them set up with training.

What if my child doesn’t like LEGO?

If your child does not like building LEGO models, then the Brick-by-Brick programme may not be the best approach to support them. You can try using the toys and activities they do enjoy to connect and play with others. Playing with others who share an interest is a great way to make friends.

Play Included FAQ

What is a community interest company?

Play Included is a Community Interest Company (C.I.C.) which is a type of not-for-profit social enterprise. This means that any profits generated by Play Included are re-invested into the social mission of our company. Our mission is to increase the accessibility, awareness and quality of the Brick-by-Brick programme so that it can support as many young people as possible.

Why have you partnered with the LEGO Foundation?

In line with our social mission to increase the accessibility, awareness and quality of the Brick-by-Brick programme, we have partnered with the LEGO foundation, to increase our reach and support more young people. Together we are strengthening the programme and scaling around the world to reach more people.

Why did you change your name from Bricks for Autism?

The evidence base for LEGO-based therapy at the moment solely focuses on children on the autism spectrum. That's why we started out as Bricks for Autism C.I.C. Over the years, we have seen positive indications that the Brick-by-Brick programme may help more young people who need extra support with social communication, language, friendship and emotional wellbeing. We would like to include more young people in the work we do and encourage more research into different populations and needs. That's why we're now Play Included C.I.C.

Countries with trained Brick-by-Brick facilitators

The Brick-by-Brick™ Programme is currently available in approximately 40 countries, through facilitators trained by Play Included™.

Argentina
Australia
Belgium
Brazil
Canada
China
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hong Kong
Hungary
India
Ireland
Israel
Istanbul
Italy
Japan
Lebanon
Malaysia
Malta
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Oman
Philippines
Poland
Puerto Rico
Romania
Saudi Arabia
Slovenia
South Africa
Spain
Sweden
Thailand
Turkey
UK
United States