WESTBY DEVELOPMENTAL PLAYSCALE (REVISED, 2000)1
Name of Child:
Medical Diagnosis:
Object Permanence
Presymbolic Level I: 8 to 12 months
q Aware that objects exist q
when not seen; finds toy
hidden under cloth, box, q
etc., associates object with q
location
Presymbolic II: 13 to 17 months
q Aware that objects exist
separate from location; finds
objects hidden in first one
place and then in a second
or third location
1
Westby, C.E. (2000). A scale for assessing development of children’s play. In K Gitlin-Weiner, A. Sandgrun & C. Schaefer (Eds.), Play diagnosis and assessment. New York: Wiley.
DOB:
Speech Pathologist/Examiner:
PHASE 1: PRESYMBOLIC
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
q Understands “in-ness;” dumps
objects out of bottle
q Hands toy to adult if unable to
operate
q Hands toy to adult to get attention
q Uses index finger to point to
desired object
Age/Sex: M/F Date of IE/RE:
COMMUNICATION
Object Use
q Attains toy by pulling cloth on which q Joint attention on toy and person
toy is resting q No true language; may have
q Explores moveable parts of toy performative words that are
q Does not mouth all toys. Uses several associated with action or the total
different schemes (patting, banging, situation
turning, throwing, etc.); uses some q Shows and gives objects
differential schemas on familiar
objects Exhibits the following communicative
intents:
q Request (instrumental)
q Command (regulatory)
q Recognizes operating parts of toys q Context dependent single words, e.g.,
(attends to knobs, levers, buttons) child may use the word “car” when
q Discovers operations of toys through riding in a car, but not when he sees a
trial and error car; words tend to come and go in
q Construction of toy relationships (e.g, child’s vocabulary
puts one toy in another such as figure
in car; nests boxes) q Exhibits the following
q Uses familiar objects appropriately communicative functions:
___ Request ___ Protest
___ Command ___ Label
___ Interactional ___ Response
___ Personal ___ Greeting
 PHASE 2: SYMBOLIC

PLAY LANGUAGE
Organization Self/Other Relations
Decontextualization Thematic Content
How coherent and What roles does the
What props are used in What schemas/scripts Function Form and Content
logical are the child’s child take and give to
pretend play? does the child represent?
schemas/scripts? toys and other people?
Symbolic Level I: 17-19 months
Child exhibits internal q Familiar, everyday q Short isolated q Self as agent (auto- Directing Beginning of true verbal
mental representation activities (eating, schemas (single symbolic or self- q Requesting communication. Words have
q Tool-use (uses sleeping) in which pretend actions) representational q Commanding following functional and
stick to reach toy) child has been an play, i.e., child q Interactional semantic relations:
q Finds toy invisibly active participant pretends to go to q Self-maintaining q Recurrence
hidden (when sleep, to eat from a q Protesting q Existence
placed in a box spoon, or to drink q Protecting self and q Nonexistence
and box emptied from an empty cup) self interests q Rejection
under scarf) q Commenting q Denial
q Pretends using q Labeling (objects q Agent
life-like props and activity) q Object
q Does not stack q Indicating personal q Action or state
solid ring feeling q Object or person
associated with object or
person
Symbolic Level II: 19-22 months
q Activities of familiar q Short, isolated q Child acts on doll q Refers to objects
others (cooking, schema (Doll is passive and persons not Beginning of word
reading, cleaning, combinations (child recipient of action); present combinations with following
shaving) combines two brushes doll’s hair, q Requests semantic relations:
actions or toys in covers doll with information ___ Agent-Action
pretend, e.g., blanket ___ Action-object
rocking doll and q Child performs ___ Agent-object
putting it to bed; pretend actions on ___ Attributive
pouring from more than one ___ Dative
pitcher into cup, or object or person, ___ Action-locative
feeding doll from e.g., feeds self, a ___ Possessive
plate with spoon) doll, mother, or
another child

Westby Developmental Playscale (2000), page 2 of 5

 PLAY LANGUAGE
Organization Self/Other Relations
Decontextualization Thematic Content
How coherent and What roles does the
What props are used in What schemas/scripts Function Form and Content
logical are the child’s child take and give to
pretend play? does the child represent?
schemas/scripts? toys and other people?
Symbolic Level III: 2 years
q Elaborated single q Reverses roles— q Comments on q Uses phrases and short
schemas “I’ll play you and activity of self (get sentences
(represents daily you play me.” apple) q Appearance of
experiences with q Comments on doll morphological markers:
details, e.g., puts (baby sleep) ___ Present progressive
lid on pan, puts (ing) on verbs
pan on stove; ___ Plurals
collects items ___ Possessives
associated with
cooking/ eating
such as dishes,
pans, silverware,
glasses, highchair
Symbolic Level IV: 2 1/2 years
Represents less q Talks to doll Responds appropriately to
frequently personally q Reverses dyadic/ the following WH
experienced events, complementary questions in context:
particularly those that roles (“I’ll play x q What
are memorable because and you play y.”), q Who
they are pleasurable or e.g. doctor/ patient; q Whose
traumatic: shopper/cashier q Where
q Store shopping q What...do
q Doctor-nurse-sick q Asks WH question
child (generally puts WH at
beginning of sentence)
q Responses to why
questions inappropriate
except for well-known
routines
q Asks why, but often
inappropriate and does
not attend to answer

Westby Developmental Playscale (2000), page 3 of 5

 PLAY LANGUAGE
Organization Self/Other Relations
Decontextualization Thematic Content
How coherent and What roles does the
What props are used in What schemas/scripts Function Form and Content
logical are the child’s child take and give to
pretend play? does the child represent?
schemas/scripts? toys and other people?
Symbolic Level V: 3 years
q Compensatory play: q Evolving episode q Transforms self q Reporting q Uses past tense, such
Re-enacts sequences, e.g., into role q Predicting as, “I ate the cake,” “I
experienced events, child mixes cake, q Engages in q Emerging walked”
but modifies original bakes it, washes associative play, narrating or story- q Uses future aspect
outcomes dishes; or doctor i.e., children do telling (particularly “gonna”)
checks patient, similar activities, forms, such as “I’m
calls ambulance, may share same gonna wash dishes.”
takes patient to role, but no
hospital (sequence organized goal
not planned)
Symbolic Level VI: 3 to 3 1/2 years
q Carries out q Represents observed q Child assigns roles q Projecting: gives Descriptive vocabulary
pretend activities events, i.e., events in to other children; desires, thoughts, expands as child becomes
with replica toys which child was not negotiates play feelings, to doll or more aware of perceptual
(Fisher Price/ an active participant q Multiple reversible puppet attributes; uses terms for
Playmobil (policemen, firemen, roles (“I’ll be a and q Uses indirect following concepts ( not
dollhouse, barn, war, cowboys, b and you be x”), requests, e.g., always correctly):
garage, village, schemas/scripts e.g., child is ticket “mommy lets me q shapes
airport) from TV shows -- seller, pilot, and have cookies for q sizes
q Uses one object Batman, Ninja airline steward, but breakfast.” q colors
to represent Turtles, Power co-player is always q Changes speech q textures
another (Stick can Rangers passenger depending on q spatial relations
be a comb, chair q Uses doll or puppet listener q Uses metalinguistic and
can be a car) as participant in q Reasoning metacognitive
q Uses blocks and play: (integrates language, e.g., “He
sandbox for q Child talks for doll reporting, said...”, “I know....”
imaginative play. q Reciprocal role predicting,
Blocks used as taking—child talks projecting
enclosures for doll and as information)
(fences, houses) parent of doll q Metacommunicative
for animals and strategies
dolls

Westby Developmental Playscale (2000), page 4 of 5

 PLAY LANGUAGE
Organization Self/Other Relations
Decontextualization Thematic Content
How coherent and What roles does the
What props are used in What schemas/scripts Function Form and Content
logical are the child’s child take and give to
pretend play? does the child represent?
schemas/scripts? toys and other people?
Symbolic Level VII: 3 1/2 to 4 years
q Uses language to q Improvisations and q Schemas/scripts q Uses dolls and q Uses language to q Uses modals (can,
invent props and variations on themes are planned puppets to act out take roles of could, may, might,
set scene q Hypothesizes schemas/scripts character in the would)
q Builds 3- “what would q Child or doll has play, stage q Uses conjunctions (and,
dimensional happen if/” multiple roles (e.g., manager for the but, so, because, if)
structures with mother and wife; props, or as author NOTE: Full competence
blocks fireman, husband, of the play story for modals and
father) conjunctions does not
develop until 10-12 years
of age.
q Some appropriate
responses to why and
how questions
requiring reasoning
Symbolic Level VIII: 5 years
q Can use language q Highly imaginative q Plans several q Engages in q Uses relational terms
to set the scene, activities that sequences of collaborative play, (then, when, first, last,
actions, and roles integrate parts of pretend events. i.e., play roles next, while, before,
in play known Organizes what is coordinated and after)
schemas/scripts for needed -- both themes are goal- Note: Full competence
events child has objects and other directed does not develop until 10-
never participated in children. 12 years of age.
or observed (e.g., Coordinates
astronaut builds several scripts
ship, flies to strange occurring
planet, explores, eats simultaneously
unusual food, talks
with creatures on
planet)

Westby Developmental Playscale (2000), page 5 of 5