The Empowering Hive recently launched a pioneering workshop program using Minecraft Education as a medium for autism group therapy. This innovative approach has demonstrated significant benefits in fostering social and emotional learning among participants.
The Power of Group Therapy
Group therapy offers a unique environment where individuals can develop social skills through interaction and collective activities. It’s particularly beneficial for those on the autism spectrum, providing a structured yet flexible framework for engagement.
Facilitated by Experts
Mikaela Hayman, our Speech Therapist, was instrumental in helping shape the social interactions of the group to ensure our young people had a great experience playing Minecraft together.
Jason Lane, Minecraft Education Global Mentor and Ambassador, selected specific Minecraft games to provide social opportunities for participants to achieve their goals during the workshop.
Minecraft Education: A Tool for Engagement
Minecraft Education Edition serves as an excellent platform for therapy, offering a familiar and enjoyable setting for participants to work collaboratively. The game’s inherent flexibility allows for tailored activities that promote social skills and emotional learning.
Workshop Highlights
Collaborative Learning
Participants progressed from individual tasks to pair-based and team-based challenges, promoting cooperation and teamwork. Minecraft Education contains a large in-game library of “maps” and “worlds” ready for instant play. As such, our workshop facilitator Jason Lane was able to design a program utilising a scaffolded set of Minecraft maps that helped participants work by themselves to gain confidence and establish skills in the first instance. As the workshop continued, maps and challenges required interaction and communication with peers.
Recognition for Targeted Skills
Positive behaviours were reinforced using “stars” on good gamer charts for each participant. These stars were based on valuable skills that help students become better gamers in group settings, including using a quiet voice, asking for help, demonstrating persistence, using new ideas to solve problems, and so on.
The important work by Matthew Harrison and Jess Rowlings from Next Level Collaboration, informed the development of this strengths-based and capacity-building approach.
Community Involvement and Generous Support
The Sycamore School and Villanova College provided invaluable learning space and technology resources, making this workshop possible.
Looking to the Future
The initial success of the workshop has sparked enthusiasm for ongoing and future sessions. Minecraft continues to be a versatile tool for engaging neurodiverse students, encouraging them to socialise and develop essential life skills in a supportive, game-based environment.
This initiative is a testament to the potential of video games as therapeutic tools, opening new avenues for learning and development in autism therapy programs. The Empowering Hive is excited to continue exploring these possibilities, shaping a brighter future for all participants involved.