Group Therapy
Can my child participate in a group at Building Blocks OT 4 Kids?
​Our groups are only open to existing clients of Building Blocks OT 4 Kids. This is because our occupational therapists need to get to know our clients and their individual needs over time through the individual therapy process, before looking to see if there is a group to suit them.
Your occupational therapist will talk with you about group therapy if they think that your child has the necessary foundation or regulation skills to engage in group therapy and that group therapy could be beneficial for them. Parents and carers can by all means ask about the possibility of group therapy for their child at any point, but we only consider this once we’ve got to know the child through individual therapy.
How does group therapy work and how large are the groups?
We build our groups around our client’s needs and interests, rather than running fixed groups that we recruit participants for. Clients within our groups are matched developmentally within a 2 – 3 year age range, as well as matched according to interests, needs, compatibility and sensory preferences.
We keep our groups small to ensure that clients get the greatest possible benefit from them. Where we have one occupational therapist facilitating a group, we have two to four participants. If we have one occupational therapist and one allied health assistant facilitating, we have up to five participants. For example, our Friday evening group includes up to five participants and has one occupational therapist in a supervisory role and two allied health assistants facilitating.
We also sometimes run longer holiday sessions in the community, where we again keep our groups small, with one occupational therapist and one allied health assistant, to three to five participants.
We understand that autism is dynamic and that our client’s capacity can vary on a day to day basis, so we take a flexible approach to each group session in order to effectively meet client needs.
What are the benefits of group therapy?
We try to peer match participants for a group so that they can form genuine friendships and find their “tribe,” which also supports and fosters autistic identity and autistic pride. Peer matching helps clients to feel like they are understood and accepted. Clients in all of our current groups have successfully formed friendships and catch up outside of group sessions.
Our groups also allow our clients to learn communication, cooperation, collaboration, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills in a supportive environment. For example, participants learn to accommodate and support each other by getting headphones for a friend when the group is getting loud, or through assisting their friends to set up an activity. Where appropriate, group participants are also invited to brainstorm activities that they would like to do together, which provides further opportunities to consider their peers and to develop communication and negotiation skills. For example, when our older boys group plans community outings they are supported to consider their friends who have allergies or who can’t walk far.
Our groups are extremely popular. For example, our Friday night group was developed as a result of a request from boys in our older after school group who were aware that we have a client age cut off, but still wanted to keep coming. So we created our Friday night group and run this fortnightly during school terms. The group is primarily a gaming night with snacks, and it is run by two allied health assistants, who are supported by an occupational therapist.
Our groups have also provided support and connection for parents who form their own networks and catch up during as well as outside of group time.
What level of structure is provided by your groups?
The level of structure of each group is dependent on the individual needs of participants. Our youngest group features more structure as this is what our younger participants need. We include a mat session, playground games, fine motor activities, obstacle course, and free play in our youngest group sessions.
We provide a safe, engaging, adaptive and naturalistic setting for learning within all our groups. Importantly, we also take a flexible and positive approach to providing education and addressing issues or behaviours if they arise.
What skills will my child learn in a group?
Skills developed in our groups are dependent on the individual participant’s needs.
All of our social groups incorporate independence skills such as putting on their socks and shoes, learning how to make snacks and trying different food. We also cover interoception awareness to help our participants tune into their own feelings and internal state as well as cover myths and misconceptions around autism.
We focus on specific skills within some of our groups. For example, we have a structured group format when we run handwriting groups, that follows the acquisition of handwriting skills and encompasses pencil grasp, explicit instruction for letter formation, spacing, alignment and speed. We have also run fine motor skills groups that cover foundation skills, hand dominance, drawing skills, cutting skills, hand strength, dexterity, coordination, and building confidence.
Building Blocks OT 4 Kids takes a needs based and flexible approach, so clients can be working on different goals or skills within the one group.
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What if I’m not sure whether a group will suit my child?
Any client who is invited to attend an existing group attends a couple of group sessions as a trial. We keep an eye on group dynamics at all times to make sure that the experience is positive for new and old members. This ensures that the group meets the client’s needs and continues to meet the needs of existing participants.
What about if my child needs support to attend a group?
If a client would benefit from participating in a group but they require additional support to regulate we try to come up with a solution to enable this. For example, we have had parents or support workers accompany a child and provide support, or a second therapist specifically attends the group to provide the support the child needs. The child’s progress and need for support is continually monitored and discussed with the parent/carer, to determine if and when support can be removed.
What does group therapy cost?
The cost of group therapy varies depending on the number of participants, the staffing ratio of each group, and the length of the particular group program.
Who is the therapist?
Sometimes the group therapist will be your child’s occupational therapist. When it is a different occupational therapist, we ensure that you and your child meet the occupational therapist who will be running the group beforehand.