ABSTRACT
Once upon a time I visited the nursery to see Jim. He was reported to have done nothing for months except drag a train in circles, watching the wheels turn. He had resisted strongly all attempts to move him on to other choices on offer, refusing even to engage in eye contact. I approached and lay alongside him on the floor to share his view. Slowly, I lined up some play people to be passengers and stood them on a station alongside the route. As the train came past I called out that people wanted to get on the train. Jim became aware of me, and glanced at the station. The second time around, the train came to a halt and I was allowed to put on a passenger. Gradually Jim came to expect passengers to get on and off at more than one station. He began to call out ‘Get on!’ and ‘Station’. Next, I put a cow on the track, which does happen in one of the Tank Engine books. Jim smiled as he put the cow out of the way. This game was repeated for the rest of playtime, and then uncharacteristically, Jim grabbed a piece of chalk and drew a circular track. I followed him and chased his lines right behind him. He ran on fast wanting me to keep up as in a game of chase. His teacher was amazed to see him laughing and having fun.
