SOCIAL SKILLS GROUPS

Our social skills programs are small (3-4 children max) individualised groups where children are matched by a range of factors such as age, communication skills, level of play, & developmental level. This allows us to develop tailored goals that meet children’s specific social needs and to foster these skills in a safe and supportive environment.

We offer a kindergarten group, and a prep to grade 1 group.
We focus on promoting:

1. Nonverbal communication skills:
   • sharing focus of attention
   • showing an interest
   • waiting
   • turn taking
   • listening and looking skills
   • attracting attention
   • understanding and using facial expression, gesture and body posture
   • pretending
   • showing an awareness of others and physical attributes
2. Verbal skills
   • initiating and ending conversations
   • maintaining a topic
   • giving and receiving information
   • asking questions
   • stating likes and dislikes
   • apologising
   • altering style of communicating

Our groups also focus on topics such as: using our voice, body language and personal space, using eye contact, greetings and farewells, friendships, making mistakes, feelings &, when to tell, and lying.

We use a range of activities such as games, craft, role play, stories, and social scripts.

1. For Parents

The Hanen Program : It Takes Two to Talk (www.hanen.org.au)
The It Takes Two to Talk Program is designed specifically for parents of young children (birth to 5 years of age) who have been identified as having a language delay.

What’s involved?

In a small, personalized group setting, parents learn practical strategies to help their children learn language naturally throughout their day together. The It Takes Two to Talk Program teaches you, step-by-step, how to become your child’s most important language teacher.

During the program we show you how to:

• Recognize your child’s stage and style of communication so that you know which steps to take next
• Identify what motivates your child to interact with you so you’ll know how to get conversations started
• Adjust everyday routines to help your child take turns and keep interactions going
• Follow your child’s lead to build his confidence and encourage him to communicate
• Add language to interactions with your child to help him understand language and then use it when he is ready
• Tweak the way you play and read books with your child to help him learn language
• Change the way you speak to your child so that he’ll understand and learn new words

Program components

• 6-8 training sessions for parents in small, personalized groups
• An ESP Hanen Certified Speech Pathologist leading the program
• A 60 minute pre-program consultation for you and your child with the speech pathologist
• Three 60 minute individual visits for you and your child in which you are videotaped while practicing strategies to help your child achieve specific communication goals. We then watch the videotaped interaction to “see” what’s helping your child and what you can modify to help even more.

Benefits of Taking the It Takes Two to Talk® Program

• Practical strategies you can use in everyday situations
  The It Takes Two to Talk Program shows you how to use your natural, day-to-day life with your child to help him/her develop language skills. You’ll discover simple things you can do during everyday activities like meal time, story time and bath time to create enjoyable learning opportunities for your child.
• It Takes Two to Talk translates the research on early language intervention into concrete strategies that are easy for you the parent to understand and to put into practice.
  During the program we offer you many opportunities to practice and discuss each strategy you learn so that you’ll be comfortable and confident using them at home.
• An evidence-based and reputable program that’s worth your time
  It Takes Two to Talk was developed by expert speech-language pathologists and is grounded in extensive research. This evidence-based program has been proven in clinical practice to have positive effects on the communication development of young children.
  It Takes Two to Talk requires a significant time commitment from parents in order to ensure the best possible learning experience. Once you’ve completed the program, however, the strategies you’ve learned will become such a natural part of the way you interact with your child that you won’t even notice you’re using them. The commitment you put in now will pay off during every interaction you have with your child.
• The chance to connect with other parents
  One of the greatest benefits of the It Takes Two to Talk Program is the opportunity it provides to connect with other parents in similar situations. You’ll have the chance to meet people who really understand what you’re feeling and gain valuable insight by listening to their own experiences using It Takes Two to Talk strategies with their child.

Because we recognise that no two children with communication challenges are alike we use  wide range of techniques and strategies to help design individualised programs for your child and his/her unique needs. During this phase, we develop essential speech, language, listening, literacy and interaction skills needed for future socialisation and academic success at all stages of a child’s life. We also promote the foundation skills essential for language and learning. Our activities range from toys and games to computer programs and I pads.

ASSESSMENT

During our assessment phase we

• Gather information from you about your child’s birth, health & development, family history, and your concerns.
• Gain your permission to talk to other professionals, carers and teachers involved with your child to ensure that we have a complete picture of your child.
• Carry out scientifically researched assessments (psychometric assessments) and clinical observations of your child to gather information in either one or a combination of the following areas:
  1. articulation ( the clarity of your child’s speech)
  2. receptive language (what your child understands of spoken language)
  3. expressive language (your child’s use of sentences and grammar)
  4. pragmatic language (how your child uses language in a social context to interact with others)
  5. play skills
  6. literacy and phonological skills (the developmental of reading, writing and spelling skills)
  7. fluency of speech
• You may also be provided with easy to complete questionnaires

Understanding your child at this detailed level means that we can set specific, measurable, achievable and realistic goals; make appropriate recommendations for ways you can help your child at home; and how your child can be helped at childcare, pre-school or school.

Getting to know your child in this way can take between one to three sessions with the Speech Pathologist depending on the complexity of the information that needs to be gathered.

The first session usually occurs in the clinic and subsequent sessions may be in the clinic, at home, at childcare or at school. Once we have collected information about your child from this range of perspectives, we then collate the information into a comprehensive written report.