Group Session Plan Protocol, Session 3

Group Session Plan Protocol, Session 3

A.Port Discovery, "Helping Your Child in the Community"

B.Date: 3 of 10 sessions, March 17, 2008, "Waterworks"

C.Short-Term Goals:

a.Members will demonstrate the ability to use strategies to keep their child with
the group, wait in line/wait their turn, and have appropriate body space from
other children

b.Members will demonstrate the ability to improve their child's safety, balance,
and navigation skills

c.Members will demonstrate the ability to improve their child's expressive
language

d.Members will facilitate their child exploring and tolerating the sensory aspects
of waterplay

e.Members will facilitate their child to be as independent as possible with
donning/doffing the coat and shoes

f.Members will facilitate their children using fine motor skills

D.Rationale:

The purpose of this session is to allow for the therapists to assist the parents with taking their child, in a group setting, through an exhibit that deals with different aspects of water play, which can be generalized into community settings/situations. The therapists will work with the parents on strategies to help their children wait their turn in order to enter the exhibit, as well as throughout the exhibit, through utilization of visual spot markers on the floor and fidget toys while waiting in line. The therapists will also work with the parents on how to safely navigate their children throughout the exhibit stations, secondary to the slippery floor conditions throughout this exhibit, as well as how to incorporate sensory strategies for calming, and tolerance for and exploration with the water in this exhibit. In addition, the families will encourage their children to don/doff rain coat and shoes during the exhibit. This exhibit has several stations with activities that the parents can utilize to encourage problem solving, fine motor skills, sensory exploration, choice making, and turn taking. The children will have individual picture schedules for each parent to use to assist with transitions. This will not only facilitate each parent to encourage the children, but also allow for socialization between the parents.

E.Materials:

-Name tags

-Marker

-Dry Erase Board

-Puppet

-Picture schedule

-Color spot necklaces

-Spots/fidget toys/weighted vests

-Laminated station number markers

-scotch tape

-Plastic bags -Coats -Shoes

F. Time and Sequence Outline:

a.Introduction (including arrival) in Sensation Station (20 minutes)

Families will arrive and place all coats and strollers in the coat room and then be directed up to Sensation Station where the children can play until all members of the group arrive. Once everyone arrives the group will start with a welcome song initiated by the SLP, with utilization of a puppet to increase the children's attention. The therapists ask if the parents were able to use any of the strategies from the previous week, and if so, how did it go. Then the therapists will go over the plan for the morning, including goals for the activities that will be written on a dry erase board. Families will be split into groups to facilitate shared encouragement of their children. Emphasis will again be placed on maximizing the children's independence with walking, talking, and participation. The OT will review and encourage sensory toys and strategies as a whole for the group, as well as individually for those children who demonstrated benefit from a sensory strategy at the last session. The SLP will review the individual picture schedule for the parents and children and explain the rationale for them.

b.Activity (40 minutes) in Waterworks

The families will go to the waterworks exhibit and line up outside the exhibit with the therapists facilitating the parents to utilize strategies for waiting in line, as previously discussed. The families will encourage donning coats and doffing shoes once at the exhibit. The families will slowly enter the exhibit, one group at a time, and work on safe navigation, communication, sensory exploration, fine motor skills, problem solving, choice making, turn taking, and socialization with other children. Once they have completed the activities through this exhibit, the families will then return to sensation station where the children can again play and explore this space while the parents will regroup for a wrap up discussion.

c.Sharing/Generalizing/Processing/Application (IS minutes)

Two Port Discovery staff members, as well as a college student volunteer will play with the children within eyesight in sensation station while the parents gather in a circle to complete a wrap up discussion of the morning activities. The therapists will facilitate discussion about how the parents felt the morning went, and again what struggles they may have had with these activities and how this might relate to struggles that they have when their children are out in the community. Purpose of this group is to be reviewed again.

d. Summary (5minutes)

Parents will again be asked to practice the strategies that were utilized throughout the mornings activities and then share with the group at the next session with whether it was successful or difficult for them. The families and children will then come together for a goodbye closing song to finish the session and return to the lobby to leave.

G. Outcome

7 families (6 children) arrived and after hanging their coats in the coat room, were escorted to sensation station by the Port Discovery staff and college volunteer to play and wait for the other families. A group "hello" song was initiated with which the families joined in and the children attended. The goals for the group were written on a dry erase board and explained so that the families were aware of what to work on. There was the introduction of the individual picture schedule and its use by the speech therapist and occupational therapist with individual books given to each family. Fidget toys were again handed out, if there was a fidget toy that a family reported or that we noted worked well with a child we gave that toy to that child again,. Again families were put into groups using colored necklaces to signify their group, although they did not use them. The therapists decided to disregard use of them in future sessions. Spots were already set up outside of the exhibit and as each child got to the exhibit they were instructed to stand on their spot. The stairs were utilized to get up to the exhibit, increased time and instruction was needed for the children with increased physical needs. The exhibit had station numbers and the parents were instructed to go to each station with their designated partner, however not necessarily needing to complete in the numerical order. Rain jackets were provided before the children went into the exhibit, hopefully to avoid them getting their clothes wet. The parents and children were encouraged to allow the children to don/doff their coats as independently as possible with assistance as needed. Unfortunately many of the zippers on these jackets were broken. Going into the exhibit in the partner form worked for the initial part of the activity, however they first were to change from their shoes to the crocs that were provided by Port Discovery and each child took a different amount of time to do so before beginning the exhibit activities. Families scattered to the areas of interest and at each water station in the exhibit. Each parent facilitated their children with water play, and needed minimal to moderate assistance to encourage independence with fine motor skills ie: with proper use of their hands with the squeegee wiper, water gun, stacking, etc. Time ran out and we were unable to complete a wrap-up at the end of the group, secondary to the families needing time to change the children's clothes since they all were wet from playing in the water.