Q&A: How Fabian House Uses Play to Build Resilience — Backed by Brain Science & ABA Therapy Best Practices

Intro:
At our recent Fabian House inservice on play-based resilience, led by Cori Fabian, our team explored how intentional, science-backed play builds the life skills children need most — adaptability, emotional regulation, and problem-solving.

Below, we answer common questions about how play, ABA therapy, and early childhood education intersect in our classrooms — with examples straight from our program and research from Dr. Daniel Amen and other leading scientists.

Q: Why does Fabian House focus so much on play?

A: Because play is how young brains are wired to learn resilience.

“Resilience is not innate — it is built through safe, supported challenge.” (00:26:43)

Research shows that through play, children practice:
✅ Emotional regulation
✅ Coping with frustration
✅ Creative problem-solving
✅ Social negotiation
✅ Cognitive flexibility

At Fabian House, play is at the heart of both our curriculum and our ABA-based interventions.

Q: Is there real science behind this approach?

A: Yes — plenty.

• Dr. Daniel Amen’s research on brain scans shows that a healthy brain is more resilient and adaptable.
  
  

• The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard confirms that supportive relationships + safe challenge = optimal stress response development.
  
  

• NDBI (Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions), a gold standard in play-based ABA, shows superior skill generalization and social outcomes (Schreibman et al., 2015).
  
  

“Mental strength starts with a healthy brain. We must feed it right, move it, and challenge it daily.” (00:34:04)

Q: How does nature-based play fit in Early Childhood Education & ABA Therapy?

A: Nature play is one of the most powerful protective factors for the brain.

“Spending time in nature reduces stress and anxiety, improves mood and cognitive function.” (00:46:33)

Benefits include:

• Lower cortisol (stress hormone)
  
  

• Better attention and executive functioning
  
  

• Improved social-emotional learning
  
  

• Increased sensory integration (critical for neurodiverse learners)
  
  

At Fabian House:

• Children engage in daily outdoor learning: barefoot grounding (00:02:11), gardening, moving logs, climbing natural features.
  
  

• We model risk vs. hazard language so children learn to assess their own safety while building confidence (00:05:59).
  

Q: How is this different from “just playing”?

A: Fabian House uses intentional, scaffolded play aligned with ABA principles.

For example:

• In peer play sessions, we model and prompt turn-taking, joint attention, and cooperative problem-solving.
  
  

• We use open-ended materials (sticks, fabric, loose parts) to encourage divergent thinking and adaptability.
  
  

• We introduce planned opportunities for tolerating frustration and recovering from small failures.
  
  

“Play is not just for children — it supports adult resilience too.” (00:52:19)
“Unstructured play fosters cause-effect understanding, self-esteem, and discovery.” (00:12:06)

Q: How do you support brain health during play?

A: We integrate brain-healthy practices into all aspects of our day:

✅ Nutrition: Organic snacks (blueberries, healthy fats, leafy greens)
✅ Hydration: Unlimited water access — vital for neurotransmitter function (00:38:28)
✅ Movement: Outdoor active play multiple times daily
✅ Limited screen time: Zero in Baby House; heavily restricted in all settings (00:37:20)

“Even mild dehydration can lead to fatigue, irritability, and memory problems.” (00:38:28)
“Excessive screen time is linked to increased anxiety, depression, and impaired emotional processing.” (00:36:14)

Q: How does a play-based approach help children with autism or other neurodiverse profiles?

A: Play-based ABA is highly effective for neurodiverse learners.

Studies show:

• Greater social reciprocity and communication gains through NDBI approaches (Schreibman et al., 2015)
  
  

• Improved generalization of skills across settings
  
  

• Enhanced emotional regulation when nature and sensory play are used intentionally
  
  

At Fabian House:

• Our team embeds ABA supports into play:
  
  

• Modeling language during peer interactions
  
  

• Promoting joint attention during cooperative games
  
  

• Using visual supports to scaffold play sequences
  
  

• Adjusting sensory input via nature and water play
  
  

Q: What’s one thing parents can do at home to support resilience?

A: Encourage unstructured, child-led play — especially outdoors.

“We are seeing a pandemic of over-scheduled and supervised children. They need free time to explore cause and effect, self-esteem, and discovery.” (00:12:06)

Ideas:

• Let children build with natural materials
  
  

• Take daily walks in nature
  
  

• Create screen-free windows for open-ended play
  
  

• Allow for safe risk-taking and small mistakes
  
  

Final Thoughts

Our inservice reinforced that play is serious brain work — essential for both learning and emotional health.

At Fabian House, we’re proud to provide a setting where:
✅ Play is intentional
✅ ABA is naturalistic
✅ Brain health is supported
✅ Nature is integrated

The result? Resilient, adaptable children with the tools they need to thrive — now and for life.