If you have any familiarity with what we do, you know we’re all about helping children become the best they can be—be it through speech therapy, occupational therapy, preschool, and more. But there’s a vital part of every child’s life that is even more important than those services: You. And sometimes parents need a bit of guidance themselves, which is why parenting education is so vital.
The challenges you face as a parent may leave you feeling isolated, overwhelmed, or confused when your child is going through therapy. The first thing you need to know is that these feelings are natural. Your desire to provide the best care for your child can cause discomfort. The second thing you need to know is that we’re ready to not only teach your kids during their therapy sessions, but their parents as well. Here’s how even you can benefit from therapy for kids.
Understanding Therapy Techniques and Goals
Kids’ sessions can provide you with a deep understanding of the techniques behind the therapy we’re providing to your child. Through this understanding, you can:
- Learn why we structure our therapy the way we do
- Understand how the activities we facilitate in therapy connect to daily life
- Gain an understanding of your child’s specific needs
- Ask informed questions during therapy sessions
Reinforcing Skills Between Sessions
As with all forms of therapy, consistency is key. The parenting education you receive during your child’s sessions is no different. From encouraging the pronunciation of new sounds to improving dexterity, progress requires practice outside of each session.
An educated parent can help reinforce valuable skills by:
- Practicing speech sounds at storytime or during card rides.
- Encouraging motor activities through everyday tasks and play—buttoning clothes or manipulating clay.
- Utilizing family mealtime to incorporate feeding techniques.
- Looking for therapy opportunities in all your everyday routines; they won’t even realize they’re practicing!
Building Parent Confidence and Reducing Stress
Our therapy for kids can benefit you, the parent, as well. Because your child’s developmental journey can be overwhelming for you in addition to them, you need an external support source.
By diving into parenting education, you’ll experience not just an increase in that confidence, but reduced feelings of helplessness, an improved ability to manage setbacks, and a stronger sense of control throughout the whole therapy process. When you feel empowered, the whole family sees the benefits!
Improving Parent-Child Interaction
The therapeutic strategies you’ll work on in your parenting education are designed to improve the interactions between you and your child. Your child is working on their communication, sensory processing, and day-to-day skills—all things that have an effect on how they interact with you. If you have the right know-how, you can use this to further bolster your child’s development! Enhance interactions big and small by learning:
- Effective communication tactics that focus on the child’s needs
- Techniques focused on sensory regulation in order to encourage calm and connection
- Positive reinforcement routines that encourage participation from your child
- Feeding strategies that mitigate mealtime stress and even make it a fun trust-building exercise
When you strengthen the interactions between you and your child, you’re helping them develop and forming a deeper bond with them. Win-win!
Becoming an Active Part of the Therapy Team
A big part of our job is working with children, but our true scope of work is the entire family. When we bring the parents—and even siblings, in some cases—into the mix, the potential for successful development grows. Parenting education will arm you with the right knowledge and strategies to encourage practice 24/7. You’ll be a vital member of a team committed to your child’s success!
Here’s how you can contribute:
- Share the observations you make between sessions with us so we can use them to inform our approach.
- Practice assigned home tasks consistently.
- Collaborate on realistic, achievable goals based on your child’s home environment.
- Ask for feedback when you are unsure of the effectiveness of your strategies. We’re always happy to help you improve!
Education That Works
Are you ready to go from a passive observer to an active and encouraging parent? When you have a deep understanding of how you can help your child’s developmental journey, they can truly thrive. Why do we do what we do? What can you do between sessions? How do you build your own confidence in parenting? All of those questions are answered during your parenting education.
Get in touch with us today to schedule therapy that’s valuable to your entire family!
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If you think your child could benefit from our support and services, send us a message!
