Journal of Exceptional People

J. Except. People 2018, 7(2):71-83

Therapeutic benefit of sandplay and work with symbols in clients with disrupted communication ability

Jana Mironova Tabachová, Lucie Kytnarová, Kateřina Vitásková

Palacký University in Olomouc, Žižkovo nám. 5, 77140, Olomouc, Czech Republic

The objective of the paper is to examine the use of sandplay therapy and work with symbols in treating clients with disrupted communication ability. A possible therapeutic benefit is shown on two case studies: 30-year-old woman after a car accident involving extensive craniocerebral trauma and consequential memory loss, treated by a speech-language therapist for anomic aphasia and acalculia. The second case involves a 47-year-old woman with mild anomic aphasia and dysarthria. At the beginning of therapy, both clients had difficulty identifying their own feelings, concerns and wishes. The benefit of sandplay and work with symbols lies primarily in the fact that clients with disrupted communication ability need not communicate their feelings, wishes and attitudes verbally, but choose a symbol that evokes these feelings. A very helpful aspect of the therapy is visualization, because they have a chance to see the image from a different perspective and try to find a solution.

Keywords: sandplay therapy, symbolic work, aphasia, dysarthria, speech-language therapy, communication disability, special education

Grants and funding:

The research results constitute partial results of the specific research "Research on selected parameters of communication, language and orofacial processes from a speech and language therapy perspective", IGA_PdF_2018_024, principal researcher: Assoc. Prof. Kateřina Vitásková.

Published: June 11, 2018  Show citation