Group therapy programs allow children to learn and practice new skills alongside their peers which reflects a more common social setting. Group programs offer the opportunity for children to interact and support each other through peer modelling.
The parent coaching aspect of these programs also allows for parents to connect as well as build their capacity to provide ongoing support to their children through their everyday interactions. This means that skills are more likely to be generalised and used across a range of environments and social situations. As part of the programs, therapists use a standardised outcome measure tool called FOCUS-34 which measures the progress of individual children.
Currently the following groups are offered regularly and are co-funded by Northern Gold Coast Communities for Children (C4C).
Talk and Play is a parent coaching and group therapy program delivered by a speech pathologist. The program is designed to help parents and caregivers focus on, and develop, the communication skills of young children under 4 years.
The program provides a framework for parents and caregivers to purposefully add language to everyday play situations to help develop the communication and thinking skills of young children. The strategies are evidenced based techniques carefully embedded into fun everyday interactions. There are two programs available
• Aims to build a child’s understanding and use of single words and two-word combinations.
Early Sentences – for children 2.5 – 4 years.
• Aims to build a child’s understanding and use of a variety of sentences.
The Read, Say and Play language group is a parent coaching and group therapy program delivered by a speech pathologist. The program is designed to help parents and caregivers focus on and develop the communication skills of children over 4 years (Prep-ready).
The program provides a framework for parents and caregivers to purposefully add language to booksharing experiences to help develop the communication and thinking skills of school-ready children. The strategies are evidenced based techniques from our Read and Grow program carefully embedded into routine storytime activities. These strategies align with the Big 5 Keys to Reading described in full at www.fivefromfive.org.au.
To find out more and register your interest in these programs please contact us at admin@speechforkids.com.au.
The Sounds-Write group is developed using an evidence-based program designed to teach children how to listen to the sounds in words for spelling, and how to blend them together for reading.
The Sounds-Write program is developmentally appropriate for beginning readers (prep to Year 2) and can be used as a fast and effective intervention for children for Year 3 onwards who require ongoing support with reading and spelling.
Parents will engage in some parent-coaching to support ongoing home practice with a supplied take home booklet.
To find out more and register your interest in these programs please contact us at admin@speechforkids.com.au.
