Social Skills Groups
Beginners Social Skills Group
Small TALK speech therapy runs the PALS social skills group program which focusses on teaching preschoolers how to play and socialise.
The program is designed to help young children develop a range of social behaviours that will help them develop friendships and get along with others. Storytelling, songs, games, role-play and activities are used to teach the children the various skills. The program runs for 10 hours, usually in school holidays intensive groups which run for 2 hours per day for 5 days.
The program consists of ten sessions, each one focusing on a particular skill. One skill builds on another so that the program gradually progresses to the more complex skills required for competent social interaction.
Registrations now open for intensive group programs running in the school holidays.
Please contact our team to reserve a place for your child in our next group.
Primary School Social Skills
Based on the well research social skills program developed by Alex Kelly, Small TALK offers the “Talkabout” Social Skills Program to school aged children and young people.
This program has 5 modules which include:
- “All about Me” – Improving awareness of self and others, physical appearance, personality, likes, dislikes.
- “Body Language” – Improving awareness and use of facial expression, eye contact, gesture, posture, distance, fidgeting and touching others.
- “The way we TALK” – Learning about the different components of speech including volume, rate, clarity, fluency, and intonation.
- “Conversations” – Learn about the different components of conversation including answering and asking questions, commenting, staying on topic and turn turn taking.
- “Assertiveness” – Learn different ways to stand up for yourself.
Small Talk also implement social skills strategies and design groups based on Michelle Garcia Winner’s Social Thinking Program and the Bridges in Social Understanding Program.
AAC Groups
The small TALK speech therapy AAC Groups help children with special needs communicate with peers using their communication device.
Communication and Social Skills Group
This is an activity based unstructured social group. The speech pathologist/s will facilitate further development of a range of social and communication skills using your child’s AAC device
Book Lovers AAC Group
A flexible group that is tailored to your child’s level of reading ability. It is designed to help children develop an interest in reading and to find books that are engaging for your child.
This group is based on the evidence-based approach of David Koppenhaven and Karen Ericson who pioneer literacy for AAC users in the US.
Core Word Group
Did you know?
Core vocabulary words are a small set of words that make up approximately 80% of what we say (Baker, Hill & Devylder, 2000). By increasing your child’s ability to use core words with their device, you are maximising their participation in a range of everyday interactions.
Your child will:
- Develop their skills in understanding and using core vocabulary words:
- ‘I’ and ‘you’
- ‘want’ and ‘get’
- ‘stop’ and ‘go’
- ‘not’ and ‘more’
- ‘like’ and ‘have’
- Engage and participate as part of a group
- Use their device to engage and communicate with others
- Be part of a social environment with other AAC users
Contact Us to find out when our next AAC group is running
Construction Club
Run by Sarah Rolfe, accredited Lego®-Based Therapy Facilitator and Certified Practising Speech Pathologist, Construction Club is a collaborative, play-based group which will facilitate your child’s ability to use their love of all-things construction to “build-up” their social language skills.
Construction Club provides opportunities for your child to develop the following skills:
- Shared attention
- Collaboration
- Listening
- Communication
- Joint problem-solving
- Compromise
- Turn-taking
- Sharing
- Shared enjoyment
Pre-Kindy Class
The small TALK speech therapy Pre Kindy Class helps children prepare for their transition to school.
The following skills will be taught during the class
- Following a visual schedule
- Following directions
- Attention to tasks
- Remaining seated
- Sharing news
- Participating in small group activities
- Communicating in the classroom
- Days of the week
- Greeting others
- Answering “wh” questions
- Early Phonics
- Rhyming
- Letter sounds
- Visual discrimination
Registrations are now open for our intensive Pre Kindy Class running in the school holidays
School Learning Strategies
Does your child have trouble listening?
Is this impacting on their participation at school?
Help them to become active, whole-body listeners, and empower them with tools and strategies to help them with their listening comprehension and ability to follow directions at school.
Registrations are now open for our School Learning Strategies Group running in the school holidays
Read more about the benefits of group therapy here