Paired Pragmatic Language Program

During the summer, we offer group therapy at our clinic to develop social language skills using a specific systematic approach called the Paired Pragmatic Language Program (PPLP). The PPLP is a program that was designed by Udie Osom in 2000 after intensive research on social cognition and group dynamics.

The PPLP may benefit your child if he/she faces these challenges:

• Not knowing how to take turns
• Difficulty starting conversations
• Trouble staying on topic
• Saying inappropriate things
• Immature social skills
• Trouble playing with others
• Awkward in social situations

The PPLP is broken into 3 modules. Each module emphasizes certain language skills depending on the age and social expectations. The children are grouped according to skill level and they are paired with typical peers. The classes have 3 children with language difficulties and 3 typically developing peers.  Each child with language difficulties has a therapist, so there are 3 therapists collaborating during each session.

Each child is assessed to be certain they are in the appropriate group. Social skills goals are written and provided to parents prior or on the first day of the group therapy session. Parents receive weekly notes and feedback regarding the target skills. At the end of the 8 weeks, parents also receive a progress report and recommendations of areas in which the child may need continued support. The children have a final party and receive certificates and trophies (if they are moving to a higher level).

MODULE 1: Paired Pragmatic Language Skills Program

In both Level 1A and Level 1B we address social language in naturalistic ways by looking at what is typical pragmatic language for kids and setting up goals to support children according to their individual skill levels. The lessons include understanding and using direct requests or imperative requests, understanding emotional words and using emotional words to regulate the environment, understanding and problem solving social situations, listening with your body, asking and responding to questions, and initiating play with peers.

• Level 1A: Turn-Taking with Your Friends,” begins by teaching typical pragmatic language skills in a hierarchal order with typical peer models. In this program, pragmatic language is addressed in stages of development using current scientific findings and a socio-linguistic framework. For example, early childhood pragmatic language includes emotional language regulation, non-verbal language regulation, comprehension and recognition of social order. We teach our children these skills with typical peers in a fun natural way by going to parks, making fun sensory activities together. Children in this group must have the language developmental level of 2-3 years. The age range for this group is 3-5+  

• Level 1B: “Turn-Taking with Your Friends,” provides simple straightforward “Turn-Taking strategies on how to engage peers in longer discourse and play. Activities at this level teach differentiated play skills, social referential eye-gaze, the concept of social referencing and emotional regulation strategies. The program is taught in a guided participation manner, with the therapists providing opportunities for the children to learn critical social language skills in a functional style. Children in this group must have the language skills of about 3+ years. The age range for this group is 4- 6+ years.
   

MODULE 2: Paired Pragmatic Language Skills Program

Theme: "Chatter Club"

In this group we begin to teach the children typical social language skills for the school age child. At this level pragmatic language is addressed in stages of early metacognitive developmental stages supported by Paiget’s theory and current scientific findings in socio-linguistic studies. For example, a six-year-old child is able to dialogue up to 4-5 turns on a familiar topic. The school age child is aware to spontaneously and diplomatically shift topics depending on the audience. The program provides a step-by-step guide on dialoguing with peers on different topics on various interests.

• In Level 2: “Dialoguing With Your Friends,” the children hang out with typical peers and participate in typical day to day fun activities such as going shopping, bowling, neighborhood parks etc. The children are taught organizational skills, problem solving skills, non-verbal conversational skills in the most functional day to day situations, as they make the plans for all of the above field trips, and trouble shoot possible scenarios in simple straight forward ways. Outlines are provided by the therapist and conversations are facilitated by licensed therapists. While the children think they are just planning field trips and having fun, all the lessons are pre-structured to support critical reasoning, divergent thinking in social situations such as, “Hanging Out,” “Tuning In.” We teach the children skills to develop their independent self monitoring strategies. All activities for social reasoning are presented in a functional style with all the children creating scenarios and solutions. Students in this group must have the language skills of about 5-6+ years. The age range for this group is 6 -9+ years.

 MODULE 3: “Paired Pragmatic Language Skills Program

Theme: "Working As A Team"

At this level we expand on the concept of teaching pragmatic language using metacognitive processing framework. The students are provided with strategies to build social reasoning within the classroom, peer groups and other social situations. These concepts are taught to the students through well-defined researched proven activities such as, active and reflective listening and reflective body language activities. Each exercise comes with homework and classroom related strategies.

In Level 3: “The Unspoken Rules ”provides step-by-step activities for the students to practice skills such as:

• Social Self-Monitoring Skills: This is the ability to take charge of what the person is doing, what the person will do next and how the action makes sense given the social situation. The self-monitoring activities are taught using acronyms such as TOP (T stands for “Tune In,’ O stands for “On Topic,” and P stands for “Processing”).
• Reflective Thinking: This means understanding the intended meaning, open-mindedness (moving from narrow thinking to learning to see things from different points of views) and recognizing the problem and applying different social thinking skills to the problems.
  • The students in this program are required to get creative with peers in the community and raise money for their field trips. This has been very successful in helping the students “break the ice,” and venture out into the real world. Our students have successfully become young entrepreneurs for 8 weeks. In the pass our students have raised money from car wash, lemonade stand, photography work, Cooking etc. Students in this group must have the language skills of about 8+years. The age range for this group is 10-14 + years.
  
  
  What makes our program unique?
• Three speech pathologists for three children WOW!
• We pre-screen all the children, both peers and children needing support to be sure it works.
• We make our programs functional, natural and fun at the same time by engaging the children in field trips, and community projects. 
• We recruit the best match peer models for each child.
  
  The programs are meant for children with social-cognitive disabilities such as High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Nonverbal Learning Disorder, ADHD, Mild-Pediatric Brain Injuries, and other children with developmental delays.
  
  Registration begins for all camps on March 31th, 2009 (spaces limited to 3 kids per group)