Five papers are presented from a 1982 conference on "Developmental and Clinical Aspects of Young Children's Play." In the first paper ("Cognitive Characteristics of Young Children's Play,") S. Rogers summarizes J. Piaget's theories on developmental stages, discusses the relationship of practice play to learning, and then focuses on the role of symbolic play, with special emphasis on research regarding play of handicapped children. D. Wolf ("Play as a Mirror for Development") considers play as a reflection of the child's development, symbolic growth, and social understanding; and as an indicator of individual differences. G. Farley examines "The Use of Play in Child Psychotherapy with Severely Emotionally Disturbed Preschoolers." I. Bretherton et al. focus on group and individual differences in child's play ("The Effect of Contextual Variation on Symbolic Play: Development from 20 to 28 Months"). In the final paper, "Development of Free Play Behavior in Infancy," R. Harmon and A. Glicken review studies on the free play behavior in normal, abused/neglected, and premature infants 12-18 months old. (CL)