Easter Seals Disability Services

Playtime Talk™

PDD (Pervasive Developmental Delay)/Autism drastically impacts the normal development of the brain in the areas of social and communication skills. Children with PDD/Autism typically have difficulties in verbal and nonverbal communication, social interactions and leisure or play activities. The disorder makes it hard to communicate with others within their familiar and their communities.

Playtime Talk is an innovative therapy program developed at Easter Seals DuPage and the Fox Valley Region for Children with Pervasive Developmental Delay (PDD)/Autism.

Playtime Talk specifically addresses situations that are a part of the child’s daily life and takes advantage of their visually based learning styles. Typical language scripts, or social play schemes, such as Playing House, Playing Restaurant, and Playing on the Playground, are used. The program incorporates video/pictorial language scripting (the learning of rote responses in conversations) with use of occupational therapy sensory techniques to allow children to focus on the language task at hand. Participants ages 4-7 are placed in a group therapy setting that meets three times a week for eight weeks. Each weekly session focuses on a unique play and language script for the children to learn in everyday environments.

The Playtime Talk program is practiced at Easter Seals DuPage and the Fox Valley Region during our summer therapy session. Two speech language pathologists, one occupational therapist, and 1-3 therapy aides run the program. Objectives of the group program include:  increased eye contact with verbalizations, increased initiation with peers, increased appropriate play with peers, and increased conversational turn-taking with peers.