What is role play gaming?

Role play gaming is a collaborative storytelling game involving a leader (Game Master) who controls variations in the setting and opportunities, and player characters who choose how they interact with that world. A roll of dice or other randomizing factor introduce an element of chance. Success in the game is more likely when the party of peers are actively working in tandem; the key to therapeutic success.

How can this help my child?

The benefits to language development are extensive and include treatment for the following areas of service:

• Social language (pragmatic) skills treatment including; increasing perspective taking, alternating attention, turn-taking, creative problem solving, social collaboration, and increased emotional regulation of outcome variability

• Expressive/Receptive language deficits can be addressed via the storytelling model for treatment delivery: increased complexity of vocabulary and a first-then-next-last temporal structure for information is key when communicating ideas and events

• Stuttering treatment to increase fluency and decrease the social/emotional deficits associated with disfluency

• Speech sound treatment related to generalization: the varying levels of emotional engagement allow attention to sound production in self-generated language during unstructured communication

• Selective mutism/reluctant communicators can be engaged in the game with characters that permit them to begin from a personal point of comfort and grow in expression as they play over time

Is there research to support this type of intervention?

There is evidence to support role play as more effective for treatment than a classic service delivery model. In the study cited below and published through NIH, role play was found to increase the efficacy and speed of generalization of trained skills over traditional therapies with skills maintained over time. Peer communication and involvement appears to be key to this success:

“Role-play as a therapy approach targeting pragmatic skills…was found to have a number of benefits that supported its effectiveness. These included that participants displayed increased interest and involvement when role-play was used… During intervention with the control group (which excluded role-play), even learners who participated well began to lose interest and concentration before the end of the session. Research shows that if learners are not actively involved in the process of knowledge acquisition, they are less likely to make the necessary connections that make learning meaningful (Cuthrell & Yates, 2007). Role-play also allowed for peer learning to take place...Participants responded well to support from their fellow learners and generally responded to the prompt or suggestion. Lastly, it was found that skills learnt appeared to generalise to outside the therapy context and were maintained after a period of 6 weeks of no intervention.”

Abdoola, F., Flack, P.S., & Karrim, S.B. (2017). Facilitating pragmatic skills through role-play in learners with language learning disability. South African Journal of Communication Disorders, 64(1), a187. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajcd.v64i1.187

Click here to read the study published in NIH

What is included in a Roll for Pragmatics cohort?

Participation in a peer group includes the following 600 clinical treatment minutes:

• Six 90 minute gaming sessions with small cohorts led by an SLP to attend to your child’s personal treatment needs

• Informal, one-page assessment related to your child’s communication following the first session

• Set of short-term goals that align with any existing treatments or IEPs

• Weekly treatment note related to the events of play and how your child’s need was addressed through the appointment

• Short summary of progress toward goals and recommendations for continued growth at the end of the six week session

• Availability of SLP contact throughout treatment via email and telephone to address questions and concerns

Why is investment in service important?

Gaming is a service delivery model of shared experience that automatically engenders a desire to participate. Active participation in more traditional therapy services can wane around the age of ten, with teens notoriously reluctant to participate in classical independent or school-based treatments. Those clients participating in the role play mode of therapy show significant increase with buy-in to the process and a willingness to make the effort necessary to consistently demonstrate gains. We have a number of students who have insisted on having their treatment time while on vacation in order not to miss a session!

How does Roll for Pragmatics differ from the local gaming group or games offered online?

Gaming is a great pastime but is not inherently therapeutic in nature. In Role for Pragmatics the game master is a qualified and licensed Speech-Language Pathologist who will be adjusting the environment in order to address goals specifically set for your child. The game is arranged and adjusted specifically to provide your child an environment conducive to address the areas of need they experience and the SLP will be accountable for skills development and outcomes.

Does Roll for Pragmatics accept medical insurance coverage?

We do not accept insurance plans at this time.

What is your refund policy?

A full refund will be available up to and including 14 days prior to the first appointment. A 50% refund will be available 14 days prior to the first appointment and between the first and second appointments. Peer participation is essential to treatment and cohorts are small to improve personalization of services, therefore no refunds will be issued for missed visits as of the second treatment to ensure groups maintain large enough for remaining participants. Exceptions can be made in cases of illness. Please reach out to your SLP for special circumstances!

I’m not from Illinois, but this sounds like something we want to do. What are my options?

The Speech-Language Pathologists servicing clients are licensed and available to serve direct minutes to players in Illinois, USA only. However, if you are interested in a Speech Therapist guided game play that prioritizes safety and presents options for players that are speech therapy friendly and supervised we can provide those services without providing direct speech service minutes. Please use “LETSPLAY2022” and sign up with a $100.00 discount and your student can join our six week cohort for safe, guided, friend-based play.

Do you have discounts available?

Gaming only discount! Join us for small group gaming without explicit therapy services! If your child is interested in gaming in an inclusive environment but you are not looking for direct therapy services including goals, updates, and final reports, use the discount code “LETSPLAY2022” upon checkout to save $100.00 on the price of a six week session.

Join early and lock in a rate! When you sign up for Roll for Pragmatics the cost to you remains the same for every six week cohort up to a calendar year following your first treatment group. Pay $525 for 540 direct contact SLP minutes and 60 SLP documentation minutes (600 total direct service minutes) for your child and that price will remain the same for 365 days. As demand for groups increases so may prices, but getting in early ensures that you maintain your price point.

Sibling discount! Each sibling signed up for Roll for Pragmatics can join with a $75 reduction in price. Use the discount code “SIBSPLAY2022” to save $75 on your second order. This also applies if your children are in different cohorts. **Includes foster siblings.