Choosing the right kind of therapy for your child can sometimes feel daunting and overwhelming. Of course, individual therapy offers many advantages for your child. It allows the therapy to be personalised and tailored to suit your child’s needs and abilities, it supports your child in learning new, complex skills in isolation and allows time for parent education and support. But for many children (and parents), practicing these skills in a real-world setting can be tricky. That is where group therapy and kids group programs come in.
By joining with like-minded peers in real-world settings, your child can continue to work on their speech therapy goals, practice valuable social communication skills and even build friendships. You might also be able to connect with other parents.
In this blog, we will discuss what group therapy looks like, how it might benefit your child and what Speech Pathologists have to say when it comes to the kids group programs we offer.
What is Group Therapy?
Group therapy refers to speech therapy sessions that are delivered in a group setting, usually including 5 to 8 children. The children within a group are of similar ages and are often working towards similar communication and language goals. This ensures the children can work together, find similarities with their peers, and make friends – all while developing important skills.
Like individual therapy, the groups are run by an experienced speech pathologist and incorporate fun and engaging activities that align with the participants interests. These might include:
- Lego and building groups
- Science, maths, technology (STEM) and coding groups
- Art, craft, dance and drama groups
- Minecraft and Pokémon groups
Speech pathologists are skilled in developing and delivering specific programs that help children build several skills, particularly in the space of social communication. While many children will build language skills in individual therapy settings, practising communication skills in a group setting with the support of an experienced speech pathologists is invaluable.
What Are the Benefits of Group Programs?
Group programs can be a functional, meaningful way to encourage your child to learn new skills and practice these new skills in a realistic, natural setting away from the clinic. Think of it like learning to drive a car. You first spend time at home learning the theory and perhaps even sitting in the car becoming familiar with the gearstick, accelerator and clutch. But the real test comes when you venture onto the road and put these skills into practice.
Group therapy can be viewed in a similar way. The skills your child learns in a one-on-one therapy setting are essential building blocks to then support them in the ‘real world’ – places like classrooms, shopping centres and birthday parties.
Other benefits of group programs include:
- The opportunity to generalise their ‘therapy’ skills with the guidance of an experienced speech pathologist
- The opportunity to develop self-expression skills and gain support from children the same age
- Engage in fun real-world activities
- Target individual goals within a group
- Develop vocabulary and discover new ways of thinking
- Practice specific skills and prepare for various milestones i.e. transition to school
Of course, one of the biggest benefits of group therapy would have to be the opportunity for your child to make friends. Practicing their individual communication skills is just one step in this process. By joining a group of peers who are not only interested in the same activity or subject matter, but have similar experiences is the making for long-lasting friendships that are founded in understanding and acceptance.
A Speech Pathologist’s View on Group Programs
At A Growing Understanding, we recognise the value of group programs and believe they are an integral component of practising important communication skills in the ‘real world’. To find out more about the benefits of group programs and how A Growing Understand ensures they are an effective therapy approach, here is a quick Q&A session about the benefits of group programs:
How are A Growing Understanding’s Group Programs different to individual therapy?
Groups are often delivered in more natural environments for communication, that is, they are less formally structured than one-on-one therapy sessions. Interactions occur between other children in the group and are guided by a Speech Pathologist. Group therapy can also be offered as a ‘one-off’ or be part of a child’s ongoing therapy program. Groups may also be longer in duration, and may include breaks for morning or afternoon tea, as an example.
What are some of the benefits of group programs as an intervention method?
There are so many benefits of group sessions, particularly in addition to individual appointments! Group sessions are cost-effective and offer opportunities to generalise skills learned in one-on-one sessions or learned in the groups across new environments.
Being surrounded by peers with similar goals helps motivate children and encourages them to participate in interactions. Children can work together to problem-solve and enjoy time with peers.
Who are group programs suitable for?
Group programs are suitable for just about any child! Each group targets specific goals, interests and skills, and will indicate the appropriate age in communication materials. We offer groups for children as young as three, up to primary school-aged children (around 14 years of age). Essentially, if your child can attend to adult instructions and engage for periods of time in an activity they love, then they are already on their way to gaining value from a group program!
What skills can be built in a group setting?
Most group programs will help children continue to build the following skills through both structured and un-structured activities:
- Vocabulary skills
- Sentence construction
- Listening to and following directions
- Generating and sharing ideas
- Literacy skills (reading and writing)
- Self-advocacy skills
- Problem solving skills
Children will also have an opportunity to learn interest-based skills i.e. art and craft skills, science skills etc.
As parents it can be reassuring to know that there are a range of therapy options available for children, particularly options that are cost effective, engaging, fun and encourage friendships.
Whether your child is engaging in individual sessions or embarking on one of our future groups, the team at A Growing Understanding Speech Pathology can guide and support you every step of the way.
Discover our group programs here and secure your child’s spot in a therapy session with great value.
