We use various techniques with a focus on verbal behaviour (VB) to work with children with developmental delays and enhance the effectiveness of working towards communication and behavioural goals.

Our therapy aims to:

• Motivate children to want to learn

• Understand behaviour and why it occurs

• Support children to be successful in their learning

• Teach functional language and communication

• Incorporate play-based approaches (play therapy) to motivate learning
  

There is no one way to teach - each child is an individual and wonderfully unique. Therefore, all interventions are tailored to their needs and will vary depending on those needs.

As play is the natural language of children, harnessing that language into understanding the therapeutic powers of play holds unlimited possibilities in transforming the lives of children and families. Play therapy involves children engaging in play activities of their choice. It gives children opportunities to express themselves in ways that they are most comfortable.

We incorporate play as an adjunctive intervention with VB as it brings added benefits because play therapy taps into areas of behaviour – such as attachment behaviours and spontaneous play – not easily reached by other interventions.

Verbal behaviour is the idea that language is behaviour. In 1957, B. F. Skinner wrote a book called Verbal Behaviour - he proposed that language has five different "verbal operants".

​Each operant has a different function:​

• Asking for a cookie when he wants one (a "mand")

• Telling someone when he sees a cookie (a "tact")

• Repeating "cookie" when someone says "cookie" (an "echoic")

• Answering "cookie" in response to a question (an "intraverbal")

• Pointing to a cookie when someone asks him to ("listener behaviour")

This approach encourages children to learn language through connecting words with their purposes. The child learns that words can help them get their desired object/item. It not only focuses on words as labels (e.g., pen, pencil, etc.), it teaches the purpose of speech and how to use it to make requests or communicate ideas.

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Home-based therapy takes place at the home of a person in therapy. In these settings, children may feel more comfortable, allowing for building of good connections (therapeutic relationship) quickly - important for therapy effectiveness and outcomes.

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Benefits:

• Be able to build rapport, observe child and family functions outside of an clinical/centre setting

• Make assessments

• Model consistency and routine

• Allow for greater parent-therapist partnership

• Research has shown that children in families who attend more sessions in therapy (approximately greater than 50%) have better outcomes

• Increased efficiency and convenience