with Jes, Founder, Empowered ABA

Play With Me

Building play, communication, and social connection.

For the child who doesn't play yet, plays the same way again and again, plays alone, or is ready for richer pretend and peer play.

There's no one right way to play. This guide shows you how to join what your child already loves and use the science of ABA, in plain language, to grow play, communication, and connection one small step at a time.

Get the Guide — $19

Instant access after purchase · Printable PDF

Not ready? Start with the free 10-Minute Play Starter.

“Start with what your child already loves. Join them there. Then build.”

Without turning play into a test.

What's inside

What counts as communication, and why we don't make words the price of a toy
The six-stage Play Ladder, so you can find your child's starting point with any toy
How play and communication grow together, and why asking usually comes before naming
Eight ABA play moves, each with its “why”: pairing, time delay, shaping, natural reinforcement, and more
Toy ladders for nine favorites: cars, trains, blocks, magnetic tiles, Little People, buses and firetrucks, animals, dinosaurs, and books
How to teach a play routine, with a real example from wheel spinning to shared pretend
Your 10-minute play practice, help for hard moments, and meaningful play goals
A printable progress tracker to share with your child's BCBA or speech therapist

An honest approach

  • We don't take away the ways your child already plays. Lining up, spinning, and repeating can be meaningful and calming. We join first, then add one small new idea.
  • Gestures, signs, sounds, and AAC all count. Your child never has to talk to earn a favorite toy.
  • This guide is educational. It isn't an evaluation or a treatment program. If you're concerned about your child's communication or development, talk with your pediatrician and a speech-language pathologist.

From families

You're not doing this alone.

Shared anonymously, with permission.

These resources feel like they were written for my actual family — not a textbook family. I keep coming back to them.
Mom of a 3-year-old
For the first time, someone explained the why behind my child's hardest moments instead of just handing me a chart. We are both less overwhelmed.
Parent of a 5-year-old
Small steps, real strategies, zero judgment. That combination is rare.
Foster dad of a 4-year-old

Notice. Join. Then build.

Ten minutes a day, with toys you already have, and a clear next step for every stage of play.

Get the Guide — $19

Instant access · $19

This guide is educational and is not a substitute for individualized assessment or care. Always supervise play and choose age-appropriate toys.