CLEVELAND, Tenn. — Play can be a window into the life of a child, according to Dr. Trevor Milliron, an early childhood specialist at Lee University.

With that in mind, Lee and local school systems established a play therapy program to find youngsters who may be showing behavioral and emotional reactions to abuse, or who have symptoms of autism or attention deficit disorders, or who are facing fears they don’t know how to express.

The play therapy program marks its fifth anniversary this year.

“Play therapy is a way to use the language of play and metaphor to interact with children,” Dr. Milliron explained.

A playroom at the Blythe Center is filled with toys, a sand tray, a dollhouse and a play theater. Children can use the toys to act out what is happening to them or how they are feeling.

Success after three or four months is measured by behavior changes, Dr. Milliron said.

The play therapy sessions also are held at local schools.

“A lot of people want to take advantage of this, but they have trouble getting here,” Dr. Milliron said. “Not only transportation but taking time off from work. It’s an issue of accessibility.”

The play therapy center, licensed through the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Development Disabilities, works with children ages 4 to 12. No one is turned away because of inability to pay. Parents may pay up to $20 a session or as little as nothing.

Sandy Cohl, of Smyrna, Tenn., is one of several Lee graduate students now in their last year of training under Dr. Milliron and co-director Dr. Kim Eckert.

“We get a good, broad range of experiences here and at the schools,” she said. “I work with children mostly, but we do meet with parents and update them on our progress.”

Toys are not the only equipment at the center. With a grant from the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative, the center purchased what look like bicycle helmets, but they have sensors inside. If a child is focusing on a video game, the sensors pick up the brain waves and the game goes on. If the sensors find the child is not paying attention, the game stops.

“When you throw a baseball, you have a target and you throw at it. Imagine doing that blindfolded. You throw it but there’s no feedback on how you are doing,” Dr. Milliron said.

Through an anonymous donor, the center hopes to soon have more equipment that can track eye movements in small children who may have autism, he said, and the research could start by January.