ABSTRACT
This chapter provides guidelines on scoring the play activities for the DPA-P according to the 14 play categories. Once there is a clear understanding of the nature of activities that are to be recorded, as specified in the previous chapter, then the identified activities can be assigned to category membership. The chapter provides detailed information and examples of how to score the different play categories. It supplements the definitions of the categories presented in Chapter 3. We pay particular attention to scoring sequences and substitutions, which can be confusing at first but are extremely important in capturing increased complexity in play. Likewise, we present distinctions between Doll-as-Actor activities and Person-as-Actor activities. We also include guidelines on an additional activity (Lining Up), which may appear in some children’s play, and you might choose to include it to characterize this variation in play. Overall, these guidelines serve to increase understanding of the categories of play, which is central to the DPA-P, and simplify the coding process.
