As the number of children and adolescents diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) increases, the need for mental health services for this population will increase. As a result, counselors in clinical practice and school must be prepared to provide those mental health services. ASD can be inherently difficult to work with due to core symptoms. Therefore, counselors need to understand what theories, methods, and techniques have successfully worked with this population. Current literature on counseling with children suggests that play therapy is effective. This generic qualitative inquiry explores licensed professional counselors' and state-certified school counselors' perceptions of utilizing play therapy to build a therapeutic alliance with children diagnosed with ASD. The population sample included 12 registered play therapists who are members of the Association of Play Therapy and were either licensed professional counselors or state-certified school counselors. The data were analyzed using inductive analysis to interpret the data collected from the interview transcripts. The researcher identified five themes: Barriers to Using Play Therapy to Build a Therapeutic Alliance With Children With ASD (Barriers), Theoretical Lens of the Play Therapist (Theory), Selection of Play Therapy Toys and Techniques to Build a Therapeutic Alliance With Children With ASD (Selection), Emotional Regulation in Children With ASD (Emotions), and Connection With Children With ASD Using Play Therapy (Connecting). The study revealed that there are more interactions with parents when working with the ASD population than neurotypical children. Counselors typically begin counseling sessions with child-centered play therapy and then evolve into more of a directive role based on the child's intense interests or obsessions of the moment. The study also found that flexibility and modifications were essential criteria when using play therapy with a child with ASD to allow connection with the child. Future research could focus on pre/post data using play therapy with children with ASD in sessions. Additional areas to consider for future research based on the data would be Autplay therapy and sandtray therapy, as little research is available on these modalities. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]