Abstract
This study analyzed the communication between 3 therapists who worked with developmentally disabled children both in an individual therapy (ITS) and group therapy (GTS) setting. The results were as follows. Clarifications of the meaning of clients' utterances and modeling of new ways to play were more frequently observed in the ITS, while explanations of the situation to clients were more frequent in the GTS. One therapist, who mainly used a reflection strategy during the ITS for a child with severe language difficulties, changed her communication to an interrogative style in the GTS. A second therapist, who mainly used an interrogative style in his reflection strategy for a child with mild language difficulty during the ITS, exhibited this pattern less frequently in the GTS. Finally, closed questions were used more during the ITS while open questions were used more in the GTS. These results were discussed in terms of the relationship between therapists' style and the therapeutic setting.
