From Screen to Real Life: Integrating Video Games and Role-Play into Therapy

Discover how video games and video game-inspired activities can transform speech-language therapy! This workshop provides practical strategies to enhance language development, social communication, and problem-solving skills in school-aged children and adolescents. Learn to bridge digital and real-world experiences through engaging role-play and creative video editing, all while aligning therapy with clients’ unique interests and strengths.

Explore Course

This course was live Monday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. ET. Replays are available now through Jan. 31, 2025.

This interactive workshop explores the integration of video games and video game-inspired experiences into speech-language therapy for school-aged children and adolescents. Participants will learn evidence-based strategies for using video games to enhance receptive and expressive language development, foster social communication, and build problem-solving skills. Beyond gameplay, the workshop demonstrates how role-play and video editing can engage clients in creating and refining narratives, organizing thoughts, and collaborating with peers. Attendees will leave with practical, client-centered approaches for structuring therapy sessions around digital and real-world activities, inspiring creativity and fostering meaningful communication outcomes.

Presenters

Erik X. Raj
Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Dr. Erik X. Raj holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and is a practicing speech-language pathologist who works with children and adults. He's an associate professor in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey, where he also directs the Meaningful Digital Experiences Research Lab.

Learning Objectives

Identify video games and video game-inspired activities that are appropriate for use in speech and language therapy with school-aged children and adolescents.
Summarize strategies for using video games to enhance receptive and expressive language development, social communication, and problem-solving skills in therapy.
Demonstrate how to incorporate role-play and video editing inspired by video games to foster narrative skills, collaboration, and meaningful dialogue in therapy activities.

Agenda

5 minutes	Introduction: Overview of workshop goals and relevance of video games in speech-language therapy.
10 minutes	Identifying Appropriate Video Games: Criteria for selecting games and examples of their therapeutic potential (Objective 1).
15 minutes	Strategies for Language Development: Using video games to enhance language, social communication, and problem-solving skills (Objective 2).
15 minutes	Role-Play and Video Editing: Demonstrating role-play activities and simple video editing for therapy (Objective 3).
5 minutes	Q&A: Participant questions and discussion.
10 minutes	Wrap-Up: Key takeaways and resources for implementation.

Disclosures

Financial Disclosures:	Dr. Erik X. Raj is an Associate Professor in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology at Monmouth University. He is also the Founder of SLPVideoGames.com.
Non-financial Disclosures:	Dr. Erik X. Raj is the director of the Meaningful Digital Experiences Research Lab
Content Disclosures:	Dr. Erik X. Raj has no additional content information to disclose.

ASHA

This course is offered for .1 ASHA CEUs, Intermediate Level, Professional Area