This now classic text remains a cornerstone of continuing efforts to develop inclusive peer play programs for children on the autism spectrum. The second edition has been thoroughly revised to reflect major new developments in the field of autism. Notable additions include an updated description of the Integrated Play Groups (IPG) model and related research; an examination of the nature of autism and of play from past to present, with major updates on incidence, diagnosis, and characteristics; and a comprehensive review of play interventions. Presenting vivid descriptions of three children with autism over a 10-year period (from age 5 to age 16), "Play and Imagination in Children with Autism": (1) Traces the development of the children as they overcome obstacles to enter into the play culture of their peers; (2) Focuses on two critical years during which the children participated in a peer play group; (3) Documents the emergence of remarkable transformations in the children's social relations with peers and symbolic activity; (4) Includes vignettes, dialogue, and samples of writing and drawing to bring the children's stories to life; and (5) Lays out the implications for new directions in research and practice.