On Friday, March 21, 2025, the Yale Child Study Center (YCSC) hosted a “Making Connections through Puppetry” training with New York City theater company Wonderspark Puppets. Intended for professionals and trainees who work with children diagnosed with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders, the workshop teaches attendees ways to use puppetry to enhance engagement, motivation, and build relationships.
Training participant and YCSC Postgraduate Associate Selin Kelly, MSSW, commented, “Learning how to utilize the puppets was surprisingly fun. There were special moments for exploring empathy and connection. Learning more about the power of the non-verbal communication opportunities this puppet presents, and opening different points of entry to engage with children were some of the highlights for me. It was a powerful reminder that connection does not require words.”
As noted on the workshop flyer, “Puppetry can be used as a tool for interaction, pretend play, communication, de-escalation, joint attention, turn taking, and more.” The training is led by a professional puppeteer and participants receive their own personalized puppet.
"I was surprised at how expressive the puppets' actions were,” said Alayna Freeman, MD, a clinical fellow at the YCSC who also attended the training. “We were able to understand without narration, which can be useful for many children with unique needs. Through this training I learned that puppetry has the power to teach, promote safe and fun play, and comfort through storytelling."
The YCSC hosted the puppetry workshop for the first time in 2021, after an eye-tracking study in the Social and Affective Neuroscience of Autism Program Lab revealed that puppets enhanced engagement with neurodiverse children. Many of the participants utilize puppetry skills to engage young patients today. This year's training was attended by 17 YCSC faculty members and trainees.