About
Play With Joy
Play With Joy, LLC was founded in 2012 by Joy, who began her work primarily with children aged six and under. Today, she works with children from toddlerhood through the elementary school years, supporting those with developmental delays, ADHD, and autism.
Joy works not only with the children themselves—focusing on skills like play, social interaction, problem solving, executive functioning, and communication—but also with parents and professionals through training and guidance.
She offers in-home sessions for families living in or near Salt Lake County, Utah, and also provides online resources, including The Early Intervention Tutorials and Navigating Behavior, to help families and educators build skills, confidence, and connection.
Joy Manning, M.Ed.
I am one of those lucky ones who loves my career. I have had incredible experiences working with so many different people.
Like I said on the home page, I have worked with people of all ages and I have worked in a variety of settings. I started working at a group home for women with disabilities in 1998 not realizing that that was the beginning of my career.
I have worked in group homes, care centers, public schools, private schools, recreational settings, and orphanages. In 2007, I began teaching and specializing in working with kids with autism. While I was teaching, I started my certification for the P.L.A.Y. Project.
I have enjoyed being able to train and coach parents, teachers, and paraprofessionals throughout my career. I have gone back to school way more than I ever thought I would, but I feel very fortunate to have had so many opportunities to learn and grow in my career.
My goal is to help as many families and educators as I can, using the knowledge I have gained through my education, training and experiences.
- Education
- Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction: Applied Behavior Analysis from Arizona State University
- Early Childhood Special Education Certification from Utah State University
- Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Science and Health from the University of Utah
- Professional Experience
- P.L.A.Y. Project Home Consultant 2011-2025
- Teacher Mentor
- Parent Trainer
- Special Ed Preschool Teacher
- Special Ed Kindergarten Teacher
- General Ed Preschool Teacher
Other random things about me: I love being a mom, I love fly fishing (although, I’m not that great at it), I love to play the piano, guitar, and sing for fun. I love to travel, and look forward to exploring the world with my family. And, I’m really good at making s’mores.
