Play-Based Speech Therapy

What is play-based speech therapy? Is it right for your family?
By Jill Flores, M.S., CCC-SLP and Kristy Hirokawa

Do you ever wonder what it means when people talk about using a ‘play-based’ therapy approach? We have asked ourselves this too and thought it would be helpful to families to clarify this terminology. You may have concerns that play-based therapy is unstructured, unfocused and lacks validity in its use. We at Bridges to Communication believe that therapy sessions should be fun and incorporate the use of engaging toys and props. However, play-based therapy is much more than that. Therapists who use a play-based approach focus on building a relationship with the child using play as a medium. While it may be less structured than traditional therapy approaches, it is nonetheless purposeful and goal-oriented. Its theoretical underpinnings focus on looking at how the child develops and how the child’s communication can grow.

Jill Flores, the founder of Bridges to Communication, believes that a therapist should work with family members to develop specific goals for their child that will enhance communication at home. Based on these goals, the therapist can work on targeting communication during highly motivating and interactive play activities. Each child’s play is going to be at a different stage, just like their communication will differ depending on their individual skills. A well-trained speech pathologist takes the time to evaluate these two areas, as she knows that communication skills go hand-in-hand with the development of play.

You may be asking yourself, "would this approach be a good fit for my family or child?” The play-based therapy model is a good fit for children typically under the age of five. It is successful for many children, in part, because it involves fun activities. When we situate therapy in the context of topics or scenarios that interest the child, the child is motivated to participate. She is working on targeting speech and language skills, while having a great time. Secondly, the play-based model is a low stress approach for children and their families. Sessions are held in the child’s natural environment (which may also include the child’s preschool). Additionally, children naturally use play to explore, discover and learn. At Bridges to Communication, we view children holistically. We know that play is tied to a child’s development not only linguistically, but socially, emotionally, physically, and cognitively as well. We cultivate a child’s play skills and structure play situations to increase the scope of his or her communication.

If you are interested in learning more or discussing a play-based therapy plan for your child, please contact Jill Flores at bridgestocommunication@gmail.com.

Resources:

·      Hanen Centre (http://www.hanen.org)

·      Summary of Carol Westby’s Stages of Play Development (“Assessment of Cognitive and Language Abilities Through Play”) – Article by Autism Teaching Tools (http://www.autismteachingtools.com/page/bbbbfg/bbbbtj)

·      A wonderful article on play-based therapy written by a speech-language pathologist at Chatterboxes (http://teamchatterboxes.blogspot.com)