Faculty Scholarly Dissemination Grants
Therapy and Fun
Date Range
2012-2013
Abstract
Since 1982, Comprehensive Therapy Center has provided 700 at-risk, disadvantaged children with speech-language and motor therapies through its summer clinic, Therapy and Fun. Comprehensive Therapy Centers offers the West Michigan community speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, sensory integration and motor therapies. The agency helps people walk, talk, learn and play so they can read and write. This case study reviews the design and implementation of the Therapy and Funs service-learning model in hopes that components are replicated. Children with disabilities attend Comprehensive Therapy Centers award-winning outpatient summer clinic, Therapy and Fun, to receive intensive sensory, motor, speech and language therapies. The Therapy and Fun program serves 35 to 40 clients, ages 1 to 10, who meet three mornings a week for seven weeks. Each child receives daily individual and group motor and language therapy. In addition to direct therapy, there are three unique aspects of this summer experience contributing to client success: the instant friendships with well-trained teen volunteer therapy aides, reinforcement activities taught by college students, and a professional mentorship structure that reinforces therapy goals at every juncture. To help keep costs low and impact high, Comprehensive Therapy Center designed Therapy and Fun as an unique service-learning model; empowering pre-teens and teens as volunteer therapy aides and utilizing college students who offer daily practice towards goals to our young clients. The professional staff supervises all aspects of Therapy and Fun and the extra practice time adds value to outpatient therapy services.
Conference Name
Mentoring Research Conference
Conference Location
Albequerque, NM
ScholarWorks Citation
Silbar, Jean; Voorhees, Rachael; and Martin, Margaret, "Therapy and Fun" (2013). Faculty Scholarly Dissemination Grants. 1058.
https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/fsdg/1058
