Abstract
This study investigate the absence of early play, that is, the deprivation of playful exchanges with caregivers in the nursery environment, and its impact on the psychic development of infants. Results from a longitudinal study with five infants, from 8 months to 4 years of age, collected by the IRDI, MPPE and AP3 instruments showed that the absence of early play results in the impoverishment of further symbolic play and in obstacles to the child’s subjectivation process.
Keywords: early play of the baby; symbolic play; IRDI instrument; early intervention