Four developmental outcomes of children's play were identified as acquaintance with the environment and the development of cognitive activity, verification of incidental learning, the development through sensory and motoric activities of relationships with objects and persons, and experience with roles and rules. A child developing atypically may not have gone through these stages or may have deficient adapting or coping skills; often he or she is nonverbal. The nonverbal child's failure to communicate may be one of the causes for failure to play (or vice versa), or both failures may be due to another factor. The basis of therapeutic intervention with the nonverbal child is the identification and utilization of the child's strengths. Approaches devised for the mentally retarded are appropriate for use with other nonverbal children. A sequence of play therapy which varies structured and unstructured conditions across play materials and therapeutic interactions, and which progresses from totally unstructured to entirely structured conditions, can be employed to good effect. Emphasizing the child's sense of self and interaction with the therapist in the context of play activities and providing clearly defined rewards and punishments, has been used to produce a level of speech readiness at which the nonverbal child can benefit from speech therapy. (RH)