Alternative Treatments: Play Therapy

Everyone knows kids play. But many may not realize fun and games can be used to help children cope with trauma and overcome disabilities.

Wendy Ludlow's basement is full of toys. Cabinets of art supplies line the walls, with children's artwork framed above. Once you enter, you feel like a kid again. But this isn't just part of Ludlow's home, it's also her office.

Ludlow's just begun a play therapy session with two of her young clients. The social worker's been using creative activities to help children tackle serious issues for the past few decades.

"The same way that adults utilize language, kids utilizie play. So, toys are the words for the child. What they draw and how they play is the communication of what they need to communicate," Ludlow said.

Six-year-old Lucas Greenblatt's shooting foam darts at a board filled with different tasks. Ludlow says Lucas is on the spectrum for Autism, and games like this help him concentrate and express himself.