Name: _____________________________________________________ DOB: _________________________ Chronological Age/Sex: ___________ M F

Medical diagnosis: ____________________________________________ Speech and Language Diagnosis: ________________________________________

Speech Pathologist: ___________________________________________ DOE: _________________________

WESTBY SYMBOLIC PLAYSCALE (WSPS)

A. Pre-Symbolic Levels

Object Permanence
Presymbolic Level 1: 8-12 mos.
___Aware that objects exist when not
seen; finds toy hidden under cloth,
box, etc.; associates object with
location
Presymbolic Level 2: 13-17 mos.
___Aware that objects exist separate
from location: finds objects hidden in
first one location and then in a second
or third location
PLAY
Means-End Problem Solving
___Attains toy by pulling cloth on
which toy is resting
___Attains toy by pulling string
___Touches adult to continue
activity
___Understands “in-ness”; dumps
objects out of bottle
___Hands toy to adult if unable to
operate it
___Hands toy to adult to gain
attention
___Uses index finger to point to
desired objects
COMMUNICATION
Object Use
___Explores movable parts of toy ___No true language: may have per
___Does not mouth all toys. Uses formative words that are associated with
several different schemas (patting, action or with the total situation
banging, turning, throwing, etc.) uses ___Shows and gives objects
some differential schemas on familiar Exhibits the following communicative
object intents:
___Request (instrumental)
___Command (regulatory)
___Recognizes operating parts of toys ___Context-dependent single words e.g.
(attends to knobs, levers, buttons) child may use word “Car” when riding in
___Discovers operation of toys a car tends to come & do in child’s
through trial and error vocabulary
___Uses familiar objects appropriately Exhibits the following communicative
functions:
___Request ___Command
___Interactional ___Personal
___Protest ___Label
___Response ___Greeting

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B. Symbolic Levels

PLAY LANGUAGE
Thematic Content Organization Self-other Relations
Decontextualization
(What schemas/scripts (How coherent and (What roles does child take
(What props are used Function Form and Content
does the child logical are the child’s and give to toys and other
in pretend play?)
represent?) schemas/scripts?) people?)
Symbolic Level I: 17-19 mos.
Child exhibits internal __Familiar everyday __Short, isolated __Self as agent (auto Directing Beginning of the verbal
mental representation activities, (e.g. eating, schemas (single pretend symbolic or self- ___Requesting communication. Words
sleeping) in which child actions) representational play; e.g. ___Commanding have following functional
__Tool use (uses stick has been an active child pretends to go to ___Interactional and semantic relations:
to reach toy) participant sleep, to eat from spoon or Self-Maintaining ___Recurrence
__Finds toy invisibly to drink from cup) ___Protesting ___Existence
hidden (when placed ___Protecting self & ___Nonexistence
in box and box interests ___Rejection
emptied under scarf) Commenting ___Denial
__Pretends using life- ___Labeling ___Agent
like props (objects and activity) ___Object
__Does not stack solid ___Indicating ___Action or state
ring personal feeling ___Location
___Object or person
associated with object or
person
Symbolic Level II: 19-22 mos.
__Activities of familiar __Short, isolated schema __Child acts on doll (doll is ___Refers to Beginning of word
others (e.g. cooking, combinations (Child passive recipient of action); objects and person combination with the
reading, cleaning) combines two actions or brushes doll’s hair, feeds not present following semantic
toys in pretend; e.g. doll, covers doll with ___Requests relations:
rocking doll and putting it blanket information ___Agent-action
to bed; pouring from __Child performs pretend ___Action-object
pitcher into cup; or actions on more than one ___Agent-object
feeding doll from plate object or person (e.g. ___Attributive
with spoon) feeds self, a doll, mother, ___Dative
and another child) ___Action-location
___Possessive

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 PLAY LANGUAGE
Thematic Content Organization Self-other Relations
Decontextualization
(What (How coherent and logical (What roles does child
(What props are used Function Form and Content
schemas/scripts does are the child’s take and give to toys
in pretend play?)
the child represent?) schemas/scripts?) and other people?)
Symbolic Level III: 2 years
__Elaborated single __Comments on __Uses phrases and short
schemas (represents daily activity of self (get sentences
experiences with details, apple) Appearances of morphological
e.g. puts pan on stove; __Comments on doll markers (tenses, plural,
collects items associated (baby sleep) possessive)
with cooking/eating such as __Present progressive (–ing)
dishes, pans, silverware, on verbs
glasses, high chair) __Plural
__Possessive
Symbolic Level IV: 2 ½ years
Represents Evolving episode sequences ___Talks to doll Responds appropriately to the
personally (e.g. child mixes cake, following “WH” questions in
experienced events bakes it, serves it) context:
that occur less ___What
frequently, ___Who
particularly those that ___Whose
are memorable ___Where
because they are ___What … do
pleasurable or ___Asks “WH” questions
traumatic: (generally puts “WH” at
___store shopping beginning of sentence)
___doctor-nurse-sick __Responds to why questions
child inappropriate except for well-
known routines
__Asks why, but often
inappropriate and does not
attend to answer

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 PLAY LANGUAGE
Organization Self-other Relations
Decontextualization Thematic Content
(How coherent and (What roles does child
(What props are used in (What schemas/scripts does Function Form and Content
logical are the child’s take and give to toys
pretend play?) the child represent?)
schemas/scripts?) and other people?)
Symbolic Level V: 3 years
___Compensatory play; ___Washes dishes or ___Transforms self __Reporting __Uses past tense, such as
Reenacts experienced doctor checks into role __Predicting “I ate cake.” “I walked.”
events, but modifies original patient, calls ___Engages in __Narrating or __Uses future aspect
outcomes ambulance, takes associative play (i.e. storytelling (particularly “gonna”) forms,
patient to hospital): children do similar such as, “I’m gonna wash
sequence is not activities, may share dishes”
planned same role, but no
organized goal)
Symbolic Level VI: 3-3 ½ years
___Carries out pretend ___Observed events (i.e. Uses doll or puppet as Projecting Descriptive vocabulary
activities with replica events in which child was not participant in play: ___Gives desires, expands as child becomes
toys (Fisher-Price/Play an active participant – e.g. ___Child talks for doll thoughts, feeling to more aware of perceptual
mobile doll house, barn, police officer, fire fighter, war, ___Reciprocal role- doll or puppet attributes. Uses term for the
garage, village, airport) schemas/scripts from TV taking – child talks for ___Uses indirect following concepts (not
___Uses one object to shows – Superman, Wonder doll and as parent of request; (e.g. always correctly):
represent another (e.g. Woman, He Man) doll “mommy lets me ___shapes
stick can be a comb, ___Highly imaginative ___Child assigns roles have cookies for ___sizes
chair can be a car) activities that to other children breakfast”) ___colors
___Uses blocks and ___Uses dolls and ___Changes speech ___textures
sandbox for imaginative puppets to act out depending on listener ___spatial relations
play. Blocks used as schemas/scripts ___Reasoning ___Uses metalinguistic and
enclosure (fences, (integrates reporting, metacognitive (ability to plan
houses) for animal and predicting, projecting, ahead, self-monitor & self-
dolls information) correct) language
e.g. “He said…”, “I know…”

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 PLAY LANGUAGE
Organization Self-other Relations
Decontextualization Thematic Content
(How coherent and (What roles does child
(What props are used in (What schemas/scripts does Function Form and Content
logical are the child’s take and give to toys
pretend play?) the child represent?)
schemas/scripts?) and other people?)
Symbolic Level VII: 3 ½-4 years
___Uses language to ___Schemas/scripts ___Child or doll has ___Uses language to ___Uses modals (can, may,
invent props and set are planned multiple roles (e.g. take roles of might, will, would, could)
scene ___Child mother and wife; character in the play, ___Uses conjunctions (and,
___Builds 3D structures hypothesizes, “What fireman, husband, stage manager for out, so if, because)
with blocks would happen if” father) the props, or as Note: Full competence for
author of the play modals and conjunctions
story does not develop until 10-12
years of age
___Begins to respond
appropriately to why and
how questions that require
reasoning
Symbolic Level VIII: 5 years
___Can use language ___Highly imaginative ___Plan several ___Engages in ___Uses relational terms
to set the scene, activities that integrate parts sequences or pretend collaborate play (i.e. (then, when, first, last, next,
actions, and roles in the of known schemas/scripts for events; organizes play roles coordinated while, before, after)
play events child has never what is needed – and themes are goal- Note: Full competence does
participated in or observed both objects and directed) not develop until 10-12
(e.g. astronaut builds ship, other children, years of age
files to strange planet, coordinates several
explores, eats unusual food, scripts occurring
talks with creatures on planet) simultaneously

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