Making the decision that your child’s tantrums or “quirks” might need some professional help is a very daunting task. Where do you go first? Who do you talk to? What questions do you ask? Whom do you ask those questions to?
If you’ve read any of my previous articles, you know the number one person in your child’s life that will help that most is an Occupational Therapist. However, all OT’s, as with anything in life, are not the same. Some may not even work with kids who have Sensory Processing Disorders, some may only work on school related issues, some may only work with adults. These questions and more are what you need to find out before deciding which OT will be right for your child.
Though Occupational Therapy is offered in schools, an OT who works in a school is often quite limited with their resources. If you’re lucky, they may have a portable swing system, but it won’t compare to what you will get at a private OT clinic. If your child has SPD, it is best to look outside what the school offers and find a private clinic that can do some intense therapy. The STAR Institute offers a treatment directory if your pediatrician or school system does not have a clinic they use. But first, check with your pediatrician, child’s therapist if you are using one, and school OT. I’m not saying to refuse OT services at the school if your child is picked up for them, but doubling up at an outside, private clinic will give you best results. The questions below are for a private OT clinic…
The NBCOT certification program ensures that an OT is qualified and prepared to perform any OT service. They are also required to keep up with certification and follow the Code of Conduct. Keeping a current certification is important because it means they are up-to-date with the latest research and evidence-based treatments.
The OT should be able to speak intelligently about their educational background, specific training, certifications they may hold, and also personal experiences they may have working with children with SPD. Not all OT’s work with children with SPD, so this is a good time to find this out. Even though education is very important, don’t forget that it’s just as if not more important your child “fits” your child’s personality. Your child should like their OT or it won’t work. They will be playing together A LOT, so keep education up on your lists of importance, but don’t forget about personality too.
This question kinda falls in with the one before about their education. But, it’s important to find out. An OT can have all the education in the world, but with no real life application, may not be successful when they are actually working with a child. Finding about how much experience, how long they’ve been working with kids with SPD, the range of severity of kids, the ages, personality types, and other information you feel may be relevant is important. Having been a Special Education Teacher, I fully believe in education, but sometimes experience can outweigh if you’re deciding between OT’s.
You can ask this question, but trust me, they will rattle off diagnostic stuff that you have never heard of and most likely won’t even know if it’s good or bad. But, it never hurts to ask. Have them explain what each tool does, how long they have used the tools, how often they assess, do they write the reports or does someone else. You’re really just trying to see how much they know about their field, how easily they can break things down for you to understand, their experience, and their personality.
This is an important question. An OT should have a plan of action individualized for your child. There should be goals before each session and their approach should be holistic, specialized, and creative. Written goals, accomplishments, and progress helps everyone involved keep up. If your OT is out sick one day, another OT can easily read the plan and pick up where it was last left off. No time spent in the clinic should be wasted, or just made as a “play day” without a goal in mind.
This question is critical to your child’s success. A successful therapy program relies on a strong support system. After each session, your OT should spend time talking with you about what they worked on, how to keep working on the goal at home, and sometimes providing handouts with strategies. As with anything, working on something one time a week for 1 hour will not result in much progress. Practice makes better, so as the caregiver you should know what to practice, how to practice it, and how often it should be happening at home. At the beginning of the next session, your OT should do a quick check-in to see how the previous week went, questions/concerns you may have, and how to fix any problems that may have occurred.
