Megan: Play Therapy-Meeting the Emotional Needs of Deaf Kids
Megan* was an anxious child who had been deaf since birth. In the last few months, she had trouble sleeping, was doing poorly in school and had difficulty explaining what was troubling her. Her parents became concerned and sought out the help of therapist, Alexis Greeves, of our Mental Health Clinics, who specializes in providing play therapy and counseling services for deaf children using ASL (American Sign Language).
“During play therapy sessions, Megan’s play was frantic,” reports Greeves. “Megan chose to role play that she and I were sisters. In the playroom, Megan created our house where we would pretend to have dinner and go to bed. Then we would wake up in the middle of the night panicked because a stranger was breaking in.”
Greeves says that Megan chose to replay the same scene for weeks and Greeves played alongside her while making observations. During those weeks of play, Greeves realized that Megan viewed her father, who was suffering from a progressive, degenerative disease, as her protector and that she was feeling less safe because of his condition. “You can’t ignore the symbolism and the emotional response,” Greeves states.
So during the next session, Greeves guided corrective play. “As Megan arranged our house in the playroom, I told her that an alarm system had been installed that would keep us safe as we slept. We played the same scene as usual, but when it was bedtime, I reminded her that the alarm system would keep us safe and no one would be able to hurt us,” reports Greeves.
After that, Megan’s once frantic play calmed. She felt safe and no longer needed to repeat the same scene week after week. “Then, we were able to work on some of her other issues,” Greeves states.
*We have changed the name of the subject and certain details to protect privacy and confidentiality. The individuals in the photo are models.
Why is play therapy important?
Play therapy is a practical and important approach in working with all children because it enables them to express their thoughts and feelings through their natural language of play. It is especially useful for deaf and hard of hearing children because play can be more visual than language-based.
“For deaf children, the world is acutely visual,” reports Alexis Greeves. “It is important to bring these children therapy in a non-threatening way using a format that is visual, playful, and accessible.” Greeves explains, “Deaf children who have ASL delays can communicate much more effectively through play.”
What are the benefits of play therapy?
Play therapy techniques can be useful in helping resolve problems, strengthen relationships, develop self-understanding, learn self-regulation skills, and build their emotional vocabulary. “Anyone can do it, but parents in particular can benefit from applying the child-centered play therapy approach,” says Greeves. “Kids need freedom and not every moment needs to be a teachable moment. Sometimes teachable moments put too much pressure on a child.”
Treating deaf children with play therapy is not very different from treating hearing children Greeves points out. “Sometimes you need to make adaptations,” she says. “And, it’s important to remember that even though it’s play therapy, it’s still often hard work for the children.”