By Charlene Macaulay
The humble Lego is being used as the building block to communication in a unique program being offered at Gateways Support Services.
The Werribee service has been running Lego Mates small group therapy sessions during school terms for primary school-aged children on the autism spectrum.
Sharon Bassett from Gateways Support Services said the program helped to boost social skills and learning among its participants.
Ms Bassett said the children were encouraged to practice turn taking, sharing and joint problem solving in each session.
“It’s for kids who are attending mainstream schools, but are having difficulty with those social interactions,” she said.
“They get together in groups of two or three and they each have a role to play – someone’s the builder, someone’s the engineer, and someone’s the supplier – and they swap roles.
“It’s about not going in and being able to dominate [the play], it’s about taking turns, listening to other people’s ideas, working together.”
Ms Bassett said as well as making Lego creations, the group also works together to create a stop-motion movie.
She said Gateways was looking at running a Hanen program, which focuses on language and skills, for younger children on the autism spectrum for term four. For more information, call 5221 2984 or email info@gateways.com.au
