How does your consistent commitment to your child’s therapy ensure their continued success?
Often times, I get asked the question, ‘How often should my child have their therapy?’
Before I integrated alternative therapies into my physiotherapy practice, I regularly saw my clients for 1 to 2 sessions per week. Having now used the Feldenkrais® and Anat Banial Methods alongside physiotherapy for my clients for over 10 years, I’ve learned from experience that your special needs child makes the fastest progress when they receive intensive blocks of therapy sessions (4 to 8 sessions within a week).
The frequency of these blocks of therapy sessions (Therapy Blocks) can vary widely. They depend on several factors:
- The challenges your child is currently facing.
- The progress your child is able to achieve within each Therapy Block.
- The extent of additional support your child receives through home activity programs.
While some children need the support of therapy every other week in order to make consistent progress, other children do well with therapy every 2 to 3 weeks. The time between Therapy Blocks allows for integration of the newly-learned movements into your child’s daily repertoire. These breaks can vary from a few weeks to a few months.
If you are new to integrating these alternative methods into your child’s therapy, an initial period of commitment to a consistent and intensive therapy program for 2 to 3 months is recommended. This is because your child’s progress can seem slow at first and it will take time for your child to gradually expand their ‘movement vocabulary’ so that they can then begin to ‘learn on their own’.
Once your child learns to ‘learn on their own’ they can continue to benefit from Therapy Blocks with longer gaps between them. A lot of my school age clients return every summer for intensive therapy that continues to support them through the on-going challenges in their lives.
Infants and young children learn at a much faster rate since their brains are primed for taking in new information. A consistent and committed therapy program that starts at an earlier age will reap far greater benefits when compared to receiving the same therapy support 6 months down the road.
Over time, it has been my observation that the children who start their therapy at a younger age and who receive a consistent therapy program make the most gains in their overall development.
As a parent myself, I understand you’ll do whatever it takes to support your child’s development and your consistent commitment to your child’s therapy will make a significant contribution to the continued success of your child!
