• Skip to content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Shop ModernMom
  • Become An Insider

ModernMom

The premiere destination for moms

  • Parenting
    • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Kids
    • Tweens and Teens
    • ModernMom Monday Videos
  • Cooking
  • Living Healthy
    • Breast Cancer
    • Health & Fitness
    • Body after Baby
    • Beauty
    • Relationships
    • Love
  • Lifestyle
    • Crafts
    • At Home
    • Education
    • Travel
    • Pets
    • Decorate
    • Money
    • Brooke Burke
  • Celebrate
    • Holidays
      • Easter
      • Valentine’s Day
      • New Year’s
      • Christmas
      • Hanukah
      • Halloween
      • Thanksgiving
    • Birthdays
    • Parties
  • Must Have
  • Contests
  • Entertainment

Invidual Speech Therapy vs. Group Speech Therapy?

August 8, 2010 by nkolenda Leave a Comment

Dear Nicole–
My son has been receiving speech and language therapy for about a year now (he is four years old) and his therapist just told me that she thinks he would benefit from group speech therapy–I guess my question to you is–How can his therapist work on my son’s goals while working on the other child’s goals too?  And…do you think individual therapy is always better?  I just don’t want to waste his time–his schedule is so packed and I want to make sure we are getting the biggest bang for our buck–we are paying out of pocket for his therapy and it really adds up per month.  I also expected that group therapy would be cheaper and it’s not!  Any insights would be really helpful…..

Alli, overwhelmed mother of 2, Maryland

Hi Alli,
Thank you for your question.  I know paying for private speech therapy can be very expensive..have you looked into getting reimbursed from your insurance company?  Many insurance companies will reimburse for either a set number of sessions within a specified time period–i.e., 30 therapy sessions every three months, or they will reimburse a percentage of the bill–i.e., 80% of the charge.  Your speech therapist will have to code her bills appropriately and write supporting documentation; you will have to expect to make a few annoying calls to your insurance company–but the benefits far outweigh the time commitment and stress (remember, insurance companies do not want to part with any money–sooo..don’t let their antics get you down.)   If insurance reimbursement isn’t an option, you could look into your state’s early intervention program.  Again, it is a process to get your child enrolled–but if they qualify, the benefit is free therapy.  If all else fails, you can always ask your therapist if she can give you a discount–the worst she can say is “no”.

Now–to get to the meat of your question.  Group therapy can be a very important part of your child’s therapeutic intervention and it is recommended for a number of reasons.   Many times when a child is learning new speech sounds or linguistic concepts, they are typically mastered within the realm of the therapy room first–then the challenge becomes “generalizing” these outcomes outside of therapy–so, once your child can produce a perfect “r” during therapy, your therapist will make sure you are aware of his progress and request follow through at home–once the child can say the sound perfectly across different places (home, school-etc) and with different people (mom, sibling, teacher-etc.) the sound is considered generalized and subsequently mastered.  Many times a child will perform beautifully within the confines of the therapy room, but as soon as a care giver is invited into the room, or the child is taken outside of the therapy room, they exhibit difficulty.  To help the child generalize this newly learned skill, your child’s speech language pathologist will recommend group therapy–this way she can work on generalizing these skills and facilitate mastery.

The main reason group therapy is recommended is to target pragmatic language or the “social”  language we partake in every day.  Successful communication takes mastery of the subtleties of interactive language–i.e., how to appropriately initiate conversation, “Hi Nicole, how was your weekend?”, terminate a conversation, “It was great talking to you, I will see you again tomorrow!” and maintain a topic of conversation.  Many times a child is willing and eager to communicate but he doesn’t understand the “rules’ and communication becomes strained and ultimately breaks down.  Forging successful friendships and relationships with others can be very very difficult for the child who has pragmatic language difficulties. 

Some children receiving speech therapy will be given what is known as a “mixed mandate”–where both individual and group therapy is recommended, i.e., twice per week the child will receive individual therapy and once per week–group therapy.  I know it may seem like the group therapy should be cheaper because there are 2-3 other kiddies getting therapy as well–but the reality is your therapist is working much harder to facilitate a group session-and setting up a group (which can take time) in which the children will complement each other is not an easy feat.  Likewise, making sure each childs’ goals are targeted within each session takes more than skill and dedication–it takes a lot of planning. 

So–if your child’s Speech Language Pathologist is recommending group therapy and all along you have trusted her with your child’s care–follow through on her recommendation–your child will become a better communicator and this will, in turn, increase their self esteem and help them maintain conversation(s) and develop long lasting friendships.

Comments

comments

Filed Under: Uncategorized

About nkolenda

Nicole Kolenda, M.S., CCC-SLP, P.C., is a licensed speech language pathologist in private practice on Manhattans Upper East Side. She has supervised and taught at both graduate programs at Teachers College, Columbia University and New York University and has collaborated with Manhattans top rated developmental pediatricians. She has over ten years of pediatric experience with children diagnosed with a range of developmental disabilities, including Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Her primary focus is in treating children diagnosed with motor planning difficulties and Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS); she has recently completed research in this area. Nicole Kolenda, M.S., CCC-SLP, P.C.
Speech Language Pathologist

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Search

Tell a friend

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

ModernMom TV

Featured

10 Things Nobody Will Tell You About Having A Baby

After reading "20 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Had Kids," I … [Read More...] about 10 Things Nobody Will Tell You About Having A Baby

Must Have

STEM-related Toys to Include in Your Child’s Easter Basket This Year 

April has arrived which means it’s time to pull out the food … [Read More...] about STEM-related Toys to Include in Your Child’s Easter Basket This Year 

Did you know?

Early Signs of Pregnancy While on Birth Control

Early Signs of Pregnancy While on Birth Control

strep throat symptoms in babies

Strep Throat Symptoms in Babies

Does Pregnancy Cause Flu-Like Symptoms?

Does Pregnancy Cause Flu-Like Symptoms?

How to Even Out a Spray Tan That Left White Spots

How to Even Out a Spray Tan That Left White Spots

Children Overcome a Fear of Water

How Do Children Overcome a Fear of Water?

How Soon After a C-Section Can I Get Pregnant Again?

Tell If You Are Pregnant While Breastfeeding

How to Tell If You Are Pregnant While Breastfeeding

How to Help Young Kids Lose Weight

back pain during first trimester pregnancy

Back Pain During First Trimester Pregnancy

abdominal discomfort during first trimester of pregnancy

Abdominal Discomfort During First Trimester of Pregnancy

Footer

  • About Us
  • Contact ModernMom
  • Advertise With Us
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contributors

Copyright © 2023 Modern Mom. All Rights Reserved.

Reproduction of any portion of this website only at the express permission of Mom, Inc.

The information provided on ModernMom is for educational use only. It should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.