You’ve probably heard at least one quote about the value of showing up and being consistency
- Benjamin Franklin is cited as saying: “Energy and persistence conquer all things.”
- William Durant explained: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
- Even Albert Einstein threw in his $.02 on the issue, reminding us: “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”
After all, you live in the real world. Here, things come up. Life happens. And it can be tough to keep consistent with new habits, activities, and schedules.
We get it.
But, as therapists who are focused on helping your child reach their full potential through our treatments— we also know how important your regular attendance at our scheduled sessions is to your child’s successful outcomes.
When we create a therapy plan for your child, we set both long and short term goals for them. We not only see the long view of where we want to get to by the end of our time together we also plan out all the small steps we need to take to arrive there.
Because small steps add up to cover a lot of ground over time, right?
It can be really tough for us to help your child stack up those building blocks to reach their ultimate goals if they don’t show up for their sessions.
Believe us, we know sometimes, things come up. As a parent, you’re constantly juggling everything and the kitchen sink, trying to keep it all together. And, once in a while, things get missed. That’s just the way it goes when there aren’t enough hours in the day.
If you have to miss a scheduled session with us it’s not the end of the world. (And we certainly appreciate if you can let us know ahead of time if your child can’t attend one of their planned visits with us).
But if multiple sessions are missed, this is an issue that can throw a monkey wrench into our treatment plan for your child. And their outcomes in therapy.
You came to us for results—and that’s exactly what we aim to provide. But missing treatments can really put a damper on your child’s progress in therapy—because consistency is key to their ability to learn, practice, and master the skills we’re targeting in our sessions.
Why is consistency so important in your child’s therapy?
- Riding a bike? Practice!
- Playing an instrument? Practice!
- Learning to read and write? You guessed it, lots and lots of practice!
This is why they say—practice makes perfect! Because it’s TRUE!
Our brains may be complex machines, but they’re also pretty basic in the way they acquire new skills. Our brains need us to do things repeatedly in order to strengthen the neural pathways around new skills. Who knew our brains had so much in common with well-worn rugs?!
Your child’s brain works the same. Kids benefit from consistent input and engagement in therapy to reap the full advantage of what we have to offer.
During our sessions, we not only teach your child new skills, we also give them lots of opportunities to practice them.
We also help train you in strategies to help them work on our target skills, even when they’re not in therapy. This practice is essential for your child’s mastery of the skills we’re targeting—whether they be speech and language skills, fine motor skills, or feeding and swallowing skills.
Did you know our brains are plastic? Ok, ok—that’s not *literally* true. But there’s a principle, known as neuroplasticity, which explains how our brains learn and remember new skills.
With neuroplasticity, our brains are able to change and rearrange themselves—building and strengthening new neural connections and pathways—when we learn and practice new skills. It’s pretty amazing!
BUT—research on the brain has also shown we only reap the benefits of neuroplasticity when we perform these new skills frequently and intensely.
We build both of these principles into our therapy plan for your child. This is why we encourage your regular attendance at our scheduled sessions.
Because we’re on your team. And we want to see your child succeed (and even exceed their goals)!
How can we help your child attend their therapy sessions with us?
As we said above, we understand that sometimes things happen that make it impossible for you to attend your child’s scheduled session with us.
We hope you don’t run into any issues, but If something unexpected happens, we ask that you reach out as soon as possible to let us know. Just like a mama whose teenager’s out past curfew—Our team worries if you miss a session without letting us know.
If this happens, you can call us at your Therapy Tree location, send us an email at hello@therapytreeaz.com, or reach out to your therapist directly. We certainly appreciate the head’s up and will work to reschedule your session for another time if possible
If your regular attendance at your child’s scheduled therapy sessions becomes a pattern—this is an issue for both us and your child. It negatively impacts our ability to serve your child’s needs to the best of our ability and to complete our full plan for their therapy.
You took the important step to seek us out to provide quality therapy services to your child. Now, it’s vital you continue to promote your child’s attendance at their scheduled sessions with us.
We know your child is unique and special. That’s why we create therapy plans that are never one-size-fits-all. Our plan for your child is individualized just for them. So, when sessions get missed, it can throw us off course on the strategic roadmap we’ve planned out for your child.
If your family is struggling to get your child to their scheduled sessions, please reach out to us for help. We want to work with you to find a solution to these issues, so your child can attend their therapy and gain the full benefits from their time with us. We’re here for you!
P.S.—Therapy Tree is always available to help you with any issues your family may face with your child and their therapy. Our website is a great source of info and materials. You can check out your Patient Portal, get answers to frequently asked questions, or read our awesome blogs posts for excellent info on all things therapy-related! We also offer some fantastic, FREE printable worksheets, to help your child work on their speech, language, and occupational therapy skills anywhere, anytime!