Play-Based Speech Therapy Course

Lesson 1 • Anatomy of Speech Production

Covers the oral-motor structures involved in articulation and phonation. Establishes the anatomical baseline needed for all subsequent therapy planning.

Lesson 2 • Social-Communicative Development

Examines joint attention, turn-taking, and pragmatic skills as they emerge in early childhood. Links social communication growth to play-based intervention rationale.

Lesson 3 • Typical Language Acquisition Stages

Traces receptive and expressive language growth from prelinguistic vocalizations to complex sentences. Provides the developmental norms used to gauge therapy targets.

Lesson 4 • Identifying Developmental Red Flags

Teaches clinicians to spot delays and disorders using milestone checklists and observational tools. Prepares students for referral decision-making covered in later chapters.

Lesson 1 • Neuroscience of Play and Learning

Explores how play activates reward circuits, reduces stress hormones, and promotes neural plasticity. Connects brain-based learning principles to therapy session design.

Lesson 2 • Child-Led Versus Therapist-Led Play

Contrasts directive and nondirective approaches and their differential effects on engagement and generalisation. Prepares students to balance structure and child autonomy in sessions.

Lesson 3 • Evidence Base for Play-Based Intervention

Surveys systematic reviews and randomised studies supporting play-based speech therapy outcomes. Equips students to justify treatment approaches to families and administrators.

Lesson 4 • Types and Stages of Play

Categorises solitary, parallel, associative, and cooperative play and maps them to communication demands. Enables therapists to select play types matched to client goals.

Lesson 1 • Language Sample Collection and Analysis

Teaches systematic collection of spontaneous language samples during play and their quantitative analysis. Produces mean length of utterance, type-token ratio, and error pattern data.

Lesson 2 • Principles of Naturalistic Assessment

Establishes why standardised tests alone miss functional communication skills visible only in play. Introduces observation-based assessment as a complementary and essential tool.

Lesson 3 • Play Skills Assessment Frameworks

Introduces standardised and criterion-referenced tools designed to evaluate play skill levels. Links play skill profiles to communication and social-emotional development findings.

Lesson 4 • Setting Up the Play Assessment Environment

Guides clinicians in selecting toys, materials, and room arrangements that elicit target behaviours. Ensures the environment maximises communicative opportunities during observation.

Lesson 1 • Dosage and Intensity Decisions

Examines research on session frequency, duration, and massed versus distributed practice in play therapy. Guides clinicians in making defensible dosage recommendations for each client.

Lesson 2 • Monitoring Progress and Revising Plans

Establishes data collection systems and decision rules for modifying goals when progress stalls. Prepares students to use ongoing data to drive dynamic, responsive treatment planning.

Lesson 3 • Family-Centred Planning Practices

Integrates family priorities, cultural values, and daily routines into the treatment planning process. Builds collaborative partnerships that increase carryover outside clinical settings.

Lesson 4 • Principles of Evidence-Based Goal Writing

Covers SMART goal criteria and how to anchor targets in developmental norms and assessment data. Ensures goals are measurable, functional, and defensible to stakeholders.

Lesson 1 • Fluency and Voice Targets in Play

Adapts stuttering modification and easy onset techniques to low-pressure play environments. Addresses voice hygiene and resonance targets through play-based vocal activities.

Lesson 2 • Modelling and Recasting Strategies

Teaches self-talk, parallel talk, expansion, and recasting as low-pressure input techniques. These strategies form the foundation of naturalistic language facilitation in play.

Lesson 3 • Phonological and Articulation Targets in Play

Embeds minimal pair, cycles, and motor-learning approaches within play activities. Demonstrates how to achieve high practice trials without drill-based instruction.

Lesson 4 • Aided Language Stimulation and AAC in Play

Introduces augmentative and alternative communication tools integrated into play-based sessions. Ensures students can support clients who use AAC devices or symbol systems.

Lesson 1 • Complex Communication Needs and Multiple Disabilities

Addresses children with motor, sensory, and cognitive co-occurring conditions alongside communication disorders. Adapts play materials and facilitation for accessibility and engagement.

Lesson 2 • Autism Spectrum Disorder and Play

Addresses restricted play repertoires, joint attention deficits, and echolalia within play-based intervention. Covers JASPER, ESDM, and DIR/Floortime frameworks adapted for speech therapy.

Lesson 3 • Social Communication and Pragmatic Disorders

Uses structured and semi-structured play to build conversational skills, perspective-taking, and peer interaction. Addresses social communication disorder distinct from ASD profiles.

Lesson 4 • Language Delay and Developmental Language Disorder

Tailors naturalistic language facilitation to children with primary language delays and DLD profiles. Emphasises vocabulary, morphosyntax, and narrative targets embedded in play.

Lesson 1 • Structuring Group Play Sessions

Covers group size, composition, activity sequencing, and physical setup for effective group play therapy. Ensures sessions are organised to maximise each child's communication opportunities.

Lesson 2 • Facilitating Peer Communication Opportunities

Teaches clinicians to engineer communication temptations and sabotage routines that prompt peer interaction. Builds skills for redirecting adult-directed communication toward peer exchanges.

Lesson 3 • Rationale for Group Play Intervention

Explains the communicative advantages of peer interaction over adult-only therapy contexts. Establishes when group formats are clinically indicated versus individual sessions.

Lesson 4 • Managing Challenging Behaviours in Groups

Provides proactive and reactive strategies for aggression, withdrawal, and turn-taking conflicts during group play. Maintains a therapeutic environment while preserving individual dignity.

Lesson 1 • Principles of Caregiver-Implemented Intervention

Reviews evidence showing that caregiver-mediated therapy accelerates outcomes compared to clinician-only models. Establishes the theoretical and empirical basis for coaching as a service delivery model.

Lesson 2 • Home Programme Design and Materials

Teaches clinicians to create clear, visual, and culturally appropriate home programme materials. Ensures caregivers can implement strategies independently with minimal professional support.

Lesson 3 • Embedding Targets in Daily Routines

Guides caregivers to identify and use bath time, mealtimes, and play routines as therapy opportunities. Increases the frequency of language facilitation beyond scheduled therapy sessions.

Lesson 4 • Evaluating Caregiver Implementation Fidelity

Provides observation checklists and fidelity tools to assess how accurately caregivers apply taught strategies. Enables clinicians to identify coaching gaps and adjust training accordingly.