Structured Play - Language Therapy

Here at the Pediatric Speech, Language, & Learning Center, our philosophy is based on the fact that your child is not a robot, and therefore, your child does not learn language in a conditioned, rote manner, but with more of a Generativist approach.

As in classic linguistic theory, children learn language based on an adult model and then imitate that model leading to a child's spontaneous utterances in due time.

As a typical developing child hears a word, they attend to that word, store the word in their brain, and spontaneously attempt to use the word through a process that linguists refer to as "rehearsal."Parents know this rehearsal process as young kids talking; children perfecting their grammar through mistakes and practice as they acquire developmental language milestones.

The best way to get that "rehearsal" or to maximize talking time is through play. Play can be working on pronouns with a three-year old while playing with toy figures on the floor, or working on "why?" questions with a six-year old during a game of Monopoly at the table.

Working on your child's individual language goals through structured play will also aid in their attention and social language skills. Behavior modification is excellent for modifying behaviors, but evidence-based linguistic theory has shown that your child, no matter the deficit, learns best through play and working on their individual language goals in a fun, but well-defined manner, and not in a robotic, behavior-modified style.

Schedule an appointment and help your child to improve and maximize their word use and overall language skills!