Sunday, March 13, 2011

"Special Playtime" Therapy Session

Since Layla has attached to us, her ODD has become overwhelming some days.  We really hadn't complained about the ODD much, but her therapist picked up on it over several sessions and asked to talk to my husband and I privately without Layla.  So we went to her office and she trained us in a "new to us" type of therapy to do with Layla. 

*** Due to the copyrighted nature of the course our therapist taught us with, I am unable to post the actual handouts here on my blog.  I will be happy to email you a link with the full walk-through on these sessions.  Feel free to leave you email in the comments, and I will delete the comment once I read it***


The point of these sessions is to strengthen the relationship between the parent and child by holding a "Special Playtime" for 30 minutes each week.   At our house, we do this once a week, for 30 minutes, on the weekend. 


The session, unlike attachment therapy, is completely led by the child. 


This is not a typical playtime. It is a special playtime in which the child leads and the parent follows. In this special relationship,there are no:
  • Reprimands
  • Put-downs
  • Evaluations
  • Requirements (to draw pictures a certain way, etc.)
  • Judgments (about the child or his play as being good or bad, right or wrong)
You literally state facts only.  You basically act like a sports caster, "You are picking up the balloon, you have decided to choose the red balloon" etc.

In the next post, I am going to list off the various toys you will want to have. 

PLEASE LEAVE ME YOUR EMAIL!!!  I REALLY WANT ALL OF YOU TO HAVE THE INFORMATION ON THIS THERAPY SO YOU CAN TRY IT WITH YOUR CHILDREN!!


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

My daughter Mariah was in this type of play therapy for over a year. It was wonderful. Thanks for sharing this great tool for others to use. It is also really fun to see where your child goes to mentally while she plays. I always felt I was getting a special glimpse indside her heart & mind. :)

The Mama said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Ashley M. said...

I started this a year ago with my 3 year old, then 2 year old. At first this was a hard thing to get used to; not saying no, not correcting them or giving indirect commands. After awhile I grew accustom to special playtime and I truly believe that my sons behavior improved because of this. It's so great to hear from other parents who are practicing the same thing! Good luck to you!