I had a couple of parents ask me this past week about what specific clinic-based therapy services their child may benefit from, and how they would set up these services for their child. These parents expressed similar concerns and told me they were overwhelmed as there appeared to be so many different options and types of therapy. As a result of this information overload, they did not know where to start. 
 
Before we discuss this topic, I want to first mention that this information and process can vary based on where you live, your child’s age, your child’s diagnosis, and what insurance or payment method your family uses. For any specific questions regarding the referral and therapy process for where you live, I would recommend looking to your insurance company webpage or talking to your child’s pediatrician.

• Ask for recommendations from your child’s pediatrician. What services do they recommend that your child would benefit from? Do they recommend any additional resources – books, parent classes, support groups, websites, etc.?

 

• If your child has a specific diagnosis, look for recommendations about typical therapies used to treat that diagnosis.

 

• Does your state and/or insurance plan require you to have a Doctor’s referral or “pre-authorization” before you initiate therapy services? If not, can you call and establish therapy services by yourself (without prior approval needed)?

 

• Look at the specifics of what your insurance plan does and does not cover. If applicable, look at items like insurance deductibles, out of pocket max, co-insurance, and co-pays so you can better understand how much therapy services may cost.

 

• Prioritize therapies based on your family’s schedule, resources, and needs. It may be recommended that your child receive multiple therapies, or a specific therapy multiple times per week. However, this may not always work out due to work schedules, family schedules, or resources. Before you start therapy services, take time to look at your family’s schedule and resources so you know what is realistically possible.

If you have any additional questions, please email me at blog@goflowoccupationaltherapy.com

See you soon!
Michael Jankowski, MS, OTR/L

Research continues to show the numerous health benefits of physical activity & sports for children of all ages:

• Physical health – Physical Activity & Sports provides children with cardiovascular input which helps strengthen their heart and lungs and can prevent obesity and diabetes.​

• Self-Regulation – Physical Activity & Sports provides children with an opportunity to move which provides children with a healthy and safe outlet for any frustration or anger they may have. Did your child have a rough day at school or are they angry about something? Give them the option to do something physical to provide a safe and appropriate outlet for any excess energy or emotions.

• Coordination – Physical Activity & Sports requires children to move in specific ways (think of the timing required to kick a soccer ball as it is rolling towards you, or the coordination and balance required to do tree pose in yoga.)

• Social skills – Team sports and activities help children with their social skills development, which helps with their development of friendships and people skills, such as sharing, taking turns, and following instructions. 

 
If your child enjoys engaging and interacting with other children sign them up for a team sport – soccer, tee-ball, basketball, or football provides the benefits of physical activity with the social aspects of being on a team. This can help with the development of friendships and social skills.
 
If your child prefers to engage in physical activity and sports by themselves, try activities such as martial arts, yoga, hiking, running, bike riding, rock climbing, skiing, etc. they will receive all the benefits of physical activity and get to learn about themselves during the process which will help build their self-confidence and self-awareness.

What sports does your child like to engage in? Let me know in the comment section below.
 
See you soon!
Michael Jankowski, MS, OTR/L

I had a patient’s family come up to me this week and express concerns they had about their child. There were concerns about whether they should keep their child in his current school where they felt he wasn’t getting all the support he needed. Or move their child to a newer school, but being that it is a new school it doesn’t have much of a history or track record.
 
I could tell these parents were really concerned about this decision and didn’t know what to do – keep their son where he was currently enrolled knowing that he may not be getting all of the support that he needs, or move their child to a different school hoping for the best but not knowing everything about this new school.
 
I took some time to reflect on the parents’ concerns and it hit me. It hit me how much this happens in our lives. How many times are we faced with a decision – big or small and unsure of how to answer it? Do we stay with what we know, or do we take a risk with something new, hoping it will benefit us?

In this case, it was a big and important decision for these parents, I discussed with these parents that we (when I say ‘we’ I mean everyone) try to make the best decision at any given time with the information we have. We can’t predict the future, so we make the best decision we can at the time with the information we currently have.
 
In this scenario, the family knew information about their son’s current school, but they didn’t know too much about their son’s potential school. These parents were going to make the best decision they could for their son with the information they have at the moment. They could not look into the future and see what may possibly change – for example, their son may get a new teacher at his current school in the future, or the new school may offer different services that really benefit their son. Unfortunately, there is no way to know what changes may happen in the future. As a result, we make the best decision we can at the time.
 
Hopefully, that decision turns out to be the best. However, if we happen to make a decision and look back at it and realize it wasn’t the best decision, it is ok, and we want to be patient and try to not get mad at ourselves for that. We made the best decision we could at the time with the information and facts available. (We couldn’t make that decision based on information we did not have or by what information may become available in the future.)
 
I hope this information is helpful for you this week.
 
What decisions are you trying to make right now? Let me know at blog@goflowoccupationaltherapy.com
 
See you soon!
Michael Jankowski, MS, OTR/L

Now that school has started, parent teacher conferences are something that may be coming up for your child soon, and they will offer an opportunity for you to check in and see how your child is doing in school. While it is still relatively early in the school year, this is a great time to identify any areas of need for your child and discuss possible solutions. By addressing any concerns early in the school year, we can prevent them from becoming a bigger issue and possibly impacting a child’s future performance or grades.
 
Here are some strategies to make the most of any upcoming parent teacher conferences:

• Go prepared – Come to the parent teacher conference with any questions or concerns you have identified so far for your child.
  • Is your child having difficulty with one particular subject? 
  • Is your child having difficulty making friends, or are they being bullied?
  • Is your child become overwhelmed during the school day or having any sensory aversions?

Discussing these questions and concerns with your child’s teacher allows you both to identify any issues for your child and find a solution.

• Make a game plan moving forward – if you have identified any concerns with your child’s performance or engagement in school, discuss a game plan moving forward with your child’s teacher to address these concerns, and to make sure these areas do not go overlooked. 
  • If your child is having difficulty in a particular subject what is needed to help that child succeed? – extra practice, tutoring, etc.
  • If your child is having difficulty with any social skills, what will be done to help your child in this area?
  • If your child is having difficulty with their sensory regulation during the day will they be referred to an in-school Occupational Therapist?

 

• ​Explore what skills can be worked on at home – Seeing if there are ways that learning can be worked on at home can further help your child’s success and engagement in school. For example, would working on social skills with a sibling carry over to the school environment? Would doing things like practicing the alphabet or counting everyday help with school performance?

I hope these strategies help any upcoming parent teacher conferences go well. Email me at blog@goflowoccupationaltherapy.com and let me know how they go.

See you soon!
Michael Jankowski, MS, OTR/L