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Young children need to be taught language and social skills “outside the box”. What do I mean? Children who receive speech therapy at school are often seen in a “box”, that is, an office or cubicle – where they sit at a table and practice exercises. But in my experience children learn better in a play environment – outside, during recess, on the playground or during free playtime in the classroom. What’s more, speech therapists need to be trained to become experts in teaching social skills, and should be allowed and encouraged to treat children during those play times.
A child’s IEP goals should include and specify that some language facilitation be done outside of the classroom, when the child is with at least one peer. That’s because adult guidance can help a child with a social language disability successfully play with a peer. The adult can help the children create a social goal for each activity, such as looking at each other, staying close, and making comments to each other as they play. The adult can also help with follow up at home – for example, using a smart phone to video the two practicing their skills. They can send it to the parents who can practice the techniques at home or on a nearby playground. Here are two boys working with me on social skills outside – out of the box.
I have observed many school personnel sit at a round table with a child and five peers and play a board game with a wait time for each child of five to seven minutes. The kids often become bored and start acting out. Some of the social skills materials can be boring or do not give the child scripts that are appropriate.
Many school speech therapists have a large case load. Despite a shortage of time, they are obligated to meet the goals of a child’s IEP that requires social skills. But, children may not be matched carefully in these large groups, and some can begin to imitate the negative social behaviors of others.
Graduate programs are beginning to recognize that there is a gap in training students to become clinicians for social language. I have trained and supervised several speech interns and clinical fellows over the years. It is clear that some don’t know how to teach children social skills or assist their play, while others do this naturally. Teaching speech and language pathologists how to facilitate social skills needs to become a part of the required curriculum. It has a major impact on children’s functional use of language and how they generalize language skills outside of the classroom.
I do know that children learn social skills best through social interactions with their peers as long as they have some adult support. Children can learn these skills best while playing.
