Importance of Outside Play for Children with Autism By: Terry Hagen,  Recreation Leader Parks, Recreation & Tourism Want to volunteer?  Coach?  Be a buddy?  Play in the Miracle League?  Fill out this survey. Unstructured play is critical in the development of ALL children, but children on the Autism spectrum play very differently than other children. Many of them struggle with stimulation in play spaces that cause them to respond in ways that can be disruptive. The way they react might include flapping, pacing, screaming, throwing what looks like a temper tantrum or harming themselves. They also tend to play off to themselves, they don’t like loud noises, they line their toys up, they repeat the same action over and over and they struggle with imaginative play. Because of this, many families with children on the spectrum might not feel comfortable taking their children places because they also don’t want to disrupt other families from their activ