Parallel play describes when young children play side by side – for example, one with playdough and the other with building blocks – separately but together. Each child plays independently while being aware of, and sometimes acknowledging, the other. It’s often described as a stage children eventually grow out of.
Many autistic people enjoy parallel play at all ages into adulthood. For adults, it might look like two friends on a sofa, one watching a video and the other reading a book, each doing their own thing while sharing the same space.