Activities for Group Therapy as Classroom Interventions

Group therapy is something all students can benefit from when it’s introduced at the classroom level. When therapy interventions involve most or all students in the classroom, non-typical students have the opportunity to engage with their peers and continue to grow in the least restrictive environment (LRE).

Classroom-wide interventions are designed to support the whole child and create an inclusive space for each student to learn. Along with supporting your students’ academic growth, you also encourage their behavioral and social-emotional growth, allowing them to become well-rounded, more self-sufficient individuals. 

PTS’s MTSS Approach to Related Services

A Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) approach isn’t anything new to educators. However, when we apply this framework to related services by introducing group therapy as a classroom intervention, we can identify which students need additional support from a school-based therapist or a related services provider.

This creates a more manageable caseload for the therapists who engage with us, allowing them to dedicate their time to students who need individual support. 

The Capable Classroom™ Group Therapy Programs

Throughout our many global initiatives, we’ve discovered how effective it can be to empower teachers, paraprofessionals, and aides to provide therapy without the therapist at the general education classroom level.

That’s why PTS developed the Capable Classroom™ as a new standard of best practices for incorporating group therapy as classroom interventions. The programs under its umbrella promote learning through play, allowing therapy techniques to carry over into the classroom in a fun and organic way.

Artic Blast™ Board Game

Authored by Janelle Paul M.S., CCC/SLP, a Pediatric Therapeutic Services (PTS) director and Speech Language Pathologist, Artic Blast™ is a breath of fresh polar air for your Speech Language Pathology (SLP) program! With detailed instructions provided by PTS, Artic Blast™ can be easily run by:

• Teachers
• Teacher aides
• Parent volunteers

Because Artic Blast™ is so accessible, skills learned in facilitating this program can be implemented in other ways within the regular education classroom, even by facilitators who aren’t therapists. It’s truly therapy without the therapist.

The program can be tailored for two to four students at a time. Small groups allow every student to receive the personal attention they need to practice and grow.

Pencil Power™ Supplemental Handwriting Instruction Program

Pediatric Therapeutic Services (PTS) created Pencil Power™ as a low-cost supplemental handwriting instruction program for kindergarten through second graders. It helps to reduce excessive occupational therapy referrals within school districts while keeping handwriting instruction in the classroom where it belongs.

Our real-world data show that schools that routinely implement Pencil Power™ in their classrooms have effectively reduced handwriting-related OT evaluations by a minimum of two-thirds

This 6-week supplemental handwriting program is best used as a pre-referral intervention or as a classroom carryover for students who are on the therapy caseload. It includes easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions that enable parent volunteers and paraprofessionals to implement activities, freeing up teachers to focus on classroom-wide priorities.

Super Self™—Self-Regulation Group

The Super Self™—Self Regulation Group can be implemented as a small-group activity to help students in third grade or above develop social and self-regulation skills.

This trainer-friendly program can be implemented as either an individual or small group experience by a teacher, paraprofessional, therapist, or parent volunteer. Super Self™ enables students to build sensory awareness and to create their own, personalized programs, which they can use anywhere, including the classroom and home environment. 

During the program, students complete a self-reflective report card that encourages them to put their experience into words. Likewise, it provides the necessary information to track data, which enables PTS to develop a targeted, individualized analysis of progress and program effectiveness over time.

Apply to Work Alongside PTS and Learn More About Classroom-Based Inventions 

At PTS, we strive to create a therapeutic ecosystem within each classroom that supports students’ needs. If you are interested in a school-based position, apply to work alongside us today!