3 Myths About Play-Based Speech Therapy

Mr. Rogers once said, “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning.” As a speech language pathologist, I love incorporating play into my therapy sessions. Play can better capture children’s attention, and keep them motivated to work on therapy targets.

A speech language pathologist conducts a play-based speech therapy session.

However, parents and caregivers may have doubts about the effectiveness of play-based speech therapy. This is understandable. Play-based therapy looks very different from more traditional drill-based therapy, which is what many people picture when they think of speech therapy. Today, I want to address and dispel some common misconceptions around play-based speech therapy.

Myth #1: Play-based speech therapy is not as effective as drill-based therapy.

Play-based speech therapy, while less structured than drill-based therapy, can be just as effective. The less structured nature of play can promote learning and generalization of target skills. Since the learning targets are incorporated into an activity the child enjoys, play-based speech therapy often feels less intimidating and demanding than drill. This can result in increased motivation, engagement, and learning.  

Paint and play-dough could be a fun (and messy!) option for speech therapy.

Play also incorporates many aspects of social-communication skills including turn-taking, cooperation, and executive functioning. In addition to these skills, other speech therapy goals like vocabulary, grammar, and speech sounds can be targeted through play. This might look like practicing “s-blends” (e.g., snake, slither, slide) while creating play-dough snakes (vs. going through s-blend flashcards). 

While there aren’t many studies directly comparing drill-based vs. play-based speech therapy, from my own experience as a speech language pathologist I’ve found that children are more engaged in practicing skills when playing. They’re also less likely to become overwhelmed with practicing new skills, something I’ve seen happen more often with drill-based therapy. Overall, this increased engagement leads to more fun and effective therapy! 

Myth #2: The only type of play is pretend play.

While the word “play” might conjure up images of dress-up, toy cars, and dolls, there are so many more types of play than only playing pretend. Other types of play include:

This child is stacking blocks and engaging in constructive play.

• Competitive play (e.g., board games)

• Exploratory play (e.g., going on a nature walk)

• Physical play (e.g., hopscotch)

• Creative play (e.g., painting)

• Constructive play (e.g., magna-tiles)

During my speech therapy sessions, I love to incorporate a variety of play types depending on each child’s interests and the skills being targeted. An example of exploratory play in a speech therapy session might be going on a scavenger hunt around the room. During the scavenger hunt, we target prepositions (e.g., on, under, between, next to) by talking about where each item is located in the room.

Myth #3: Play-based speech therapy is just for young children, not for school-aged kids.

When you consider all of the different types of play children might engage in, you can imagine how play can be utilized for a wide range of ages (not just for young children!). For example, physical play for teens might look like playing team sports, helping them learn cooperation, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. Creative play for older children might look like building Legos or constructing a robot for their robotics club.

This family enjoys a board game together.

Even as adults, play still has benefits. Board games, pickleball, and puzzles can all constitute play, and result in positive benefits like reducing stress, promoting flexibility and problem-solving, and result in a sense of belonging. These same benefits are also true for children, and part of why I love incorporating play into my work as a speech language pathologist.

How can I learn more about play-based speech therapy?

Sincere Speech Therapy, LLC offers free 15-minute phone consultations to parents and families. My clinic is located in Lenexa, KS, and I also provide teletherapy services to the residents of Kansas, Missouri, and Texas. If you have more questions about play-based speech therapy, or are interested in your child receiving play-based speech therapy services, please reach out anytime! My phone number is 913-210-0578 and my email is ellen@sincerespeech.com. You can also get in touch by using the Contact Me button below. I look forward to hearing from you!

References:

• https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-20-00310

• https://www.annadeeslp.com/post/benefits-of-play-in-speech-therapy

• https://www.parents.com/types-of-play-6835400

• https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/the_power_of_play_part_3_types_of_play