For busy parents and carers, squeezing therapy appointments into their day isn’t always easy, but is well worth the effort as they create lifelong change. Like many things, the team around the client collectively determine the therapeutic success. With a little insight and planning, parents and carers can actively enhance their child/young adults therapy delivery, experience and value.
Important factors that influence therapy success:
CLIENT Attendance:
Therapist Delivery:
CARER Follow Up:
Client Attendance
Frequency (and intensity) of treatment
Following research review, and in conjunction with our own clinical observations, it has been identified that a treatment frequency of weekly appointments (in blocks) is likely to be more impactful for the outcomes for children and young adults accessing our services than fortnightly all year (refer to a series of papers shared via The Informed SLP.
As a result, the recommendation is that therapy that is less frequent than weekly throughout the year (eg fortnightly or monthly), instead occurs in blocks of weekly appointments followed by a brief break to consolidate and transfer ‘in therapy’ skills to everyday life.
*Of course we recognise that a fortnightly schedule may be preferable (or the only option) for some families. As such we continue to support this where chosen. Visit Block Therapy Explained for more information.
Timing and Location of therapy
Like all of us, different children and young adults may function more effectively at different times of day. Be alert and aware as to when those best times might be to time therapy, or home program practice. As an example, it might be that tele-therapy in the afternoon might be more useful than face-to-face (in clinic) in the morning.
*Of course there are times when a parent/carer schedules may be as significant a factor as the young child/adult preferences.
Holiday Intensive Therapy
Whilst research across a range of clinical areas suggests that different intensities work best for different areas, generally research labels ‘high intensity’ as 2-5 times a week, and ‘low intensity’ as weekly. This fact, combined with the benefit of a short term break from therapy, also indicates that for some clients multiple (2-5) appointments during the school holiday weeks may produce the therapeutic outcome. Don’t understate the value of children’s learning capabilities when they are not under school term demands! For more information visit Holiday Intensive Therapy
Therapist Delivery
‘Best fit’ (fun) activities sustain engagement
No matter the clients age, engagement in therapy (like anything) is determined by the degree of fun, enjoyment and/or interest. choosing and changing up the motivating activities (or toys) is crucial for sustaining engagement for skill repetition, consolidation and extension. This motivation might be an activities, a toy or even the person the client is engaging with. For children and young adults often novelty is key which is why an endless supply of toys to engage even the most recalcitrant learning can be helpful. It is also why buying the same toys for home may be counter productive. Our therapists believe that its often not the toys that make the fun, it’s how you use them. Spending money often isn’t the answer but being playful and/or engaging in the way the child/young adult enjoys it might be!
Therapist/client ‘fit’
Skillful therapists can be the ‘bets fit’ therapist to (almost) every client, in much the same way that skillful professional networkers learn to match their conversational partners mood and communication style.
Our therapists work hard to engage children and young adults at their level, and in their interests. Some times that ‘goodness of fit’ between therapist and client needs some carer intervention. We encourage carers to discuss with the therapists what could be done differently in activities or approach to meet the client where they need to be me. Share the tips and tricks with the therapist to hasten the connection. In some rare cases it might be best to change out the therapists. Our team are invested in the clients best interests and wont be offended!
Goal Focused:
Achieving therapeutic success is much like shotting at a target. Aim at nothing and you’ hit it every time. Aim at a target and Keep adjusting each and every action to support success over time.
Therapist knowing the clients goals is crucial, even if these adjust over time. Therapists knowing the success in the goal outside of therapy is also crucial so communication with the client and carer is crucial as well as determining the next steps and future goals.
CARER Follow Up
Home Program Recommendations
Research indicates that high frequency therapy (multiple times a week to at least weekly) is more likely to produce the best therapy outcomes.
For this reason, following each therapy appointment our therapists provide clients and carers with recommendations to carry on practice at home. In some cases, the recommendations are focused on how to do skills, rather than what to do, whilst in others the reverse is true. No matter what the focus, is is fair to say that the more consistent support/ expectations off the child or young adult, often the faster the progress, so it may well be appropriate to share the recommendations with extended carers (e.g. teachers or other family members).
Home program recommendations are focused specifically on functional activities that can be easily integrated into daily life, or tips and tricks in terms of the way that parents or carers manage the client. They are also tailored to be parent/carer delivered. These recommendations are as much part of therapy as any face-to-face time. The more these are conducted between therapy appointments, the more quickly therapy gains will be made and/or consolidated. Use these activities to maximum benefit for ideal progress!
Therapy recommendations can also be used in place of regular therapy for those who travel long distances, or struggle to attend therapy for any number of reasons. For more information, visit Therapy Recommendations.
Communication.
Where the primary carer is unable to attend the therapy appointment, communicating updates and/or questions via email to the therapist in advance of the appointment can be really advantageous. It ensures the therapist has the necessary information to plan and administer ‘best fit’ therapy during the appointment, as well as the most useful communication to the carer after the appointment.
Communication between all parties supporting the client is also ideal to ensure consistency (which in turn fast tracks developmental gains, and prevents the (in good faith) application of counter productive approaches. Funding your therapist time to liaise with the other carers surrounding the child/young adult is a vital part of effective therapy and can dramatically improve the collabourative intervention planning (applied individually by the practitioner) which allows more rapid goal development.
Our friendly client coordinators are ready to help schedule your preferred appointment frequency, timing and method of therapy to ensure that your child or young adult receives the most efficient therapy possible.
We acknowledge the land on which we operate as the traditional lands of the Kaurna people, and pay our respects to the spiritual relationship with country that all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples hold.
Kid Sense is founded on inclusion and the belief that everyone is welcome. All diversity is celebrated, encouraged, represented and supported in our staff, our clients, and our community. You are welcome here.
