My child has a hard time making conversation and playing with peers their own age. How can speech therapy help?

Q: My child has a hard time making conversation and playing with peers their own age. How can speech therapy help?

Knowing how to act in different kinds of social situations, join others in play, or make conversation with others can be confusing and anxiety-inducing for some children. Many children benefit from explicit instruction and guidance on how to navigate various social experiences. The Open Lines ® team developed a program to enhance social participation and help children develop meaningful friendships through various games and exercises that teach children how to vary speech style and language according to the situation, take the perspective of others, initiate and maintain conversations, focus attention, understand and appropriately use body language, expressions, and pitch and volume of voice to effectively interact with other people. Social and Language Program