Interventions for Autistic children are all around us. The most used in Australia is for a medical professional to recommend a combination of speech, occupational therapy and psychology, BUT most GPs or other professionals know little to nothing about the ESDM, let alone the G-ESDM! We’ll detail what some of the benefits of ESDM programs are in next week's blog post, but what benefits does the G-ESDM provide?
G-ESDM is a newer form of ESDM which was developed at La Trobe University. G-ESDM is small group based learning for children with autism or other developmental disabilities. Here at Kindred Kids, our groups have 5 children that attend with 3 practitioners present to run the small-group program together.
These small groups can be harder to find in terms of interventions that are available pretty much anywhere in the world. Most small group programs are based on social skills between the children that attend. Here are some ways that the G-ESDM can be of benefit to your child:
1. Social Skills – Okay, so I just mentioned that your child could get this from any group, but this group is facilitated by Certified ESDM Therapists. These therapists are specially trained to become play partners, but in G-ESDM, they promote play partnering with the other children instead. All children learn social skills through play, but often an adult play partner may make up for some of the social skills meaning the child does not get to practice as much as they would with a peer.
2. Peer modelling – Another asset of G-ESDM is peer modelling. All kids have varying strengths and challenges, which means that a group is an ideal place to have a peer. Adults, even when they are considered a play partner, can come across as directive if your child doesn’t like the activity. Having a buddy at group can motivate you child to try something new or do things differently.
3. Targets all developmental domains – This isn’t just a social skills group! Children first go through a full developmental assessment to develop goals. Targeted skills come from all the different developmental domains, so your child isn’t receiving practice in just one area, they are achieving other skills too!
4. School readiness - Children are able to practice skills like morning circle and participate in group based activities as well as simple tasks like standing in a line.
5. Data and review – This is a personal favourite of mine. I love to see change and growth in children, and your child is no different! The beauty of an G-ESDM program is that it is data driven, meaning it shows where your child started and how far they’ve come along the intervention.
Want to learn more? We invite you to call, email or drop-in to chat about whether this program is right for your child!
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