Frequently Asked Questions

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 LEGO therapy?

LEGO therapy, or LEGO brick based therapy is a play based methodology that uses collaborative LEGO play to develop social interactions, emotional wellbeing, confidence, communication and belonging. It has traditionally been used with neurodivergent children but it is now used much more widely.

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

The Brick-by-Brick® programme is the world’s leading thinking in LEGO® brick 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.

Is LEGO brick based therapy neuroaffirming?

The methodology, when implemented correctly, provides a space where children can be themselves, develop their social confidence, and develop a sense of belonging within a group. However, there is great variability in the quality of training providers, and many myths about how to run sessions. It is for that reason that Play Included have worked closely with Neurodivergent consultants to co-create the Brick-by-Brick programme. We wanted to ensure that all aspects of the programme and the training are neuroaffirming, so that children and young people can have the best experiences and opportunities in Brick Clubs.

Training FAQ

How do you become a LEGO therapist?

The term 'LEGO therapist' not a recognised job role. We refer to the adults who run sessions as Brick Club Facilitators. Anyone who works with children and young people, in the fields of health, social care and education can train to be a Brick Club Facilitator. Play Included are the only providers of Certified Facilitator training.

Can anyone do LEGO brick based therapy or the Brick-by-Brick programme?

Most professionals come from a background in Health, Education and Social Care, and have some experience working with children and young people. We also ask that clubs are run in organisations with existing safeguarding and complaints policies, to ensure that children will be kept safe in their clubs. If you wish to check your suitability to train with Play Included please email us at bookings@playincluded.com

Do you need to be trained to deliver LEGO brick based therapy?

The methodology behind Brick Clubs is simple and easy to adopt, but facilitation of sessions is far from simple. We believe that the best outcomes for children and young people are achieved when sessions are run by professionals trained in playful facilitation. Play Included's LEGO brick based therapy training focuses on skilling up professionals in playful facilitation, to create positive and neuroaffirming spaces for children and young people to thrive.

What will the training involve? 

Working with the LEGO Foundation, Play Included's Brick-by-Brick® programme has a training pathway for professionals wishing to use LEGO brick based therapy. The training levels build on each other, giving professionals the knowledge and skills on their journey to become a Brick-by-Brick® Facilitator.

The Certified Facilitator training is an interactive and engaging e-learning course divided into modules. The content covers topics such as: neurodiversity, LEGO brick based therapy methodology, programme delivery and, learning playful facilitation skills. At the end of each module there is a short quiz.

Certified Facilitator and Advanced Facilitator training must be completed in sequential order.

In some areas we also have the option of taking both courses in-person with our combined Certified Facilitator and Advanced Facilitator Fast track training.

How long does the training take?

Our Certified Facilitator (e-learning) course takes on average between 6-8 hours to complete. Once registered, you have 12 weeks to complete the course.

Our Advanced Facilitator course is a 1-day, in-person, experiential learning day led by licensed Play Included Trainers.

Our Certified Facilitator and Advanced Facilitator Fast-track training course is a 2 day in-person event. Day 1 covers Certified Facilitator (in-person rather than online). Day 2 covers the Advanced Facilitator experiential training.

What is the feedback from the training?

Play Included have worked with AT-Autism to independently evaluate our Certified Facilitator and Advanced Facilitator training in the Brick-By-Brick® programme.

In surveys, 87% of facilitators said that they felt confident in delivering a Brick Club after completing our Certified Facilitator e-learning course. 100% of Facilitators said that they would recommend our Brick-by-Brick® Certified Facilitator course to others.

Those completing our Advanced Facilitator course, 96% said that it was a necessary addition to their training in the Brick-by-Brick® methodology.

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, friendship and emotional wellbeing.

Such professionals come from a wide range of backgrounds, such as, psychology, teaching, health, special education, social work, speech and language therapy, play therapy, community settings, charitable settings and occupational therapy.

Will I receive a certificate?

Certificates are issued upon completion of each training level. Certified Facilitator and Advanced Facilitator courses are both CPD certified.

On completion of the Certified Facilitator training, Facilitators will have the option to be listed on our Register of Brick-by-Brick® Facilitators, visible on our website.

After completing my LEGO brick based therapy training, can I train my colleagues?

No, our training courses must be completed by each professional that will be delivering LEGO brick based therapy. In our experience, receiving high quality training has the best outcomes for children and young people.

We offer discounted rates for organisations or groups of professionals wishing to complete training in the Brick-by-Brick programme.

Is the Brick-by-Brick® programme suitable for parents to use with their children at home?

We find that the Brick-by-Brick® programme works best when delivered by professionals in school, clinic or community settings. We believe in the power of parent-child play and, as such, have developed a range of Play At Home activities. These are available on our website, totally free!

Can I buy resources from you? 

Our high quality and extensive resources are available as part of your membership when you have completed your training.

Do you sell LEGO® bricks?

We are lucky enough to be partnered with The LEGO Foundation but we do not sell LEGO® bricks. You may wish to explore LEGO® Replay as a way to potentially get access to free LEGO bricks for your Brick Clubs.

What is the cost of membership?

The first year of membership is included in the cost of your Brick-by-Brick® programme Certified Facilitator training. Individual membership costs vary depending on your country of residence. The membership cost for your country is shown when you purchase the Certified Facilitator course. Group membership rates differ – please contact us at bookings@playincluded.com for more information.

Membership will give access to new resources, Play Included team support, live Brick-by-Brick® Facilitator Support sessions (virtual), and access to the latest research and events in the field of learning through play and neurodiversity. Access to membership content will depend upon the level of training completed (Certified Facilitator or Advanced Facilitator).

Parents FAQ

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? 

Please see the Brick Club Directory and Regsiter of Practitioners to find a list of certified Brick Clubs and facilitators in different parts of the world. If there are no Brick Club's in your area, why not 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