As the New Year begins, many of us embrace the opportunity for a fresh start by setting personal goals and resolutions. It’s also the perfect time to reflect on your child’s therapy journey. How are they progressing towards their goals? Have new priorities surfaced that you’d like the therapy team to address?
Westside’s Caregiver Training Sessions provide a dedicated space for you to collaborate with your child’s therapists, without your child in attendance. These sessions go beyond the brief overviews you receive after each therapy appointment, offering more in-depth discussions about your child’s progress and goals. They also allow for meaningful collaboration on supporting skill development at home.
These sessions, covered by most insurance plans, can be easily scheduled by contacting your clinic or your child’s therapist. To make the most of your session, here are some areas to consider beforehand:
Review Your Child’s Current Therapy Goals
If it feels challenging to keep track of your child’s evolving therapy goals, you’re not alone. With multiple therapies and possibly school services in play, it’s easy to feel a bit unclear. While our therapists provide brief updates after each session, it’s important to occasionally step back and review your child’s overall goals.
All of our therapists track data and monitor progress in real time, and parents can request a copy of their child’s goals at any time. If you ever want a more comprehensive overview, don’t hesitate to ask your child’s therapist for a summary of their current goals and the progress being made. We’re here to ensure you’re fully informed and confident in your child’s therapy journey.
Revisit Your Priorities
Has your child started school, mastered a new skill, or faced new challenges at home? Perhaps certain behaviors or difficulties that were once manageable are now causing more disruption in your family life.
Children are constantly evolving, and as they grow, new skills—and new hurdles—are always emerging. If there’s something you’d like to prioritize during therapy, make sure to communicate these changes with your child’s therapy team.
Your input is invaluable in shaping therapy goals that truly support your child’s current needs.
At Westside, we prioritize listening to your questions and concerns about your child, conducting thorough evaluations, and building an individualized therapy plan based on their specific needs. It’s helpful to see how your observations, combined with our professional evaluations, translate into realistic and achievable therapy goals.
Here are a few examples of common concerns from parents, the skills we may focus on, and specific goals we might set:
Physical Therapy (PT):
Parent Concerns:
- My child seems clumsy and is always bumping into things.
- They aren’t crawling/walking yet.
- They don’t engage in playground activities like other children their age.
Improving Balance and Coordination
Goal Example: Within 6 months, the child will independently maintain balance while standing on one foot for at least 10 seconds without support, 4 out of 5 times.
Strengthening Core Muscles for Better Posture
Goal Example: Within 3 months, the child will sit unsupported on the floor with good posture (shoulders back, head upright) for 5 minutes during playtime, 4 out of 5 times.
Enhancing Mobility (Walking, Running, or Jumping)
Goal Example: Within 4 months, the child will independently jump forward 10 inches with both feet together, landing with balance, 4 out of 5 times.
Occupational Therapy (OT):
Parent Concerns:
- My child has difficulty with fine motor skills, like coloring or using scissors.
- They struggle with everyday things, like getting dressed independently or using utensils.
- They have aversions to certain textures or clothing, or are triggered by loud noises.
Developing Fine Motor Skills (Writing or Buttoning Clothes)
Goal Example: Within 3 months, the child will independently button and unbutton a shirt with 90% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities.
Increasing Independence in Daily Tasks (Dressing or Feeding)
Goal Example: Within 6 months, the child will independently put on and take off shoes and socks without assistance in 4 out of 5 trials.
Improving Sensory Processing (Managing Sensory Sensitivities)
Goal Example: Within 4 months, the child will tolerate wearing socks and shoes for at least 2 hours during daily activities with minimal signs of discomfort (e.g., removing or pulling at clothing), showing improved sensory regulation in response to tactile stimuli.
Speech Therapy (ST):
Parent Concerns:
- My child isn’t talking yet, or has a limited vocabulary compared to other same-aged kids.
- My child doesn’t seem to understand what I’m saying, or won’t follow directions.
- I have trouble understanding my child, or other adults can’t understand them.
Expanding Vocabulary and Improving Sentence Structure
Goal Example: Within 3 months, the child will independently use 3-4 word sentences to request or comment in 80% of opportunities during structured play, improving expressive language skills.
Improving Receptive Language Skills
Goal Example: Within 4 months, the child will correctly identify common objects (e.g., “cup,” “ball,” “shoe”) when named by the therapist in 80% of opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions.
Improving Articulation and Clarity of Speech
Goal Example: Within 4 months, the child will correctly produce the /s/ sound in all word positions with 80% accuracy in structured speech activities, improving overall speech clarity.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA):
Parent Concerns:
- My child has tantrums, runs away, or has other challenging behaviors.
- My child needs help learning social skills and making friends.
- My child struggles with routines and transitions throughout the day.
Reducing Challenging Behaviors and Promoting Positive Alternatives
Goal Example: Within 3 months, the child will use functional communication (e.g., verbal requests or picture exchange) to ask for a break instead of engaging in disruptive behavior in 4 out of 5 opportunities.
Developing Social Skills, Like Sharing and Taking Turns
Goal Example: Within 6 months, the child will take turns appropriately with peers during structured play in 80% of opportunities without prompts.
Building Life Skills, Such as Following Routines or Managing Transitions
Goal Example: Within 4 months, the child will independently follow a 3-step morning routine (e.g., brush teeth, put on shoes, pack backpack) with minimal prompting, increasing independence in daily transitions.
Feeding Therapy:
Parent Concerns:
- My child is very picky and has trouble accepting new foods.
- My child struggles with chewing and swallowing food properly, or gags on certain textures.
- My child needs help feeding themselves with utensils.
Increasing Tolerance for New Foods and Textures
Goal Example: Within 4 months, the child will tolerate and try at least 3 new food textures (e.g., crunchy, soft, mixed) during mealtime with minimal refusal behavior in 80% of opportunities.
Improving Chewing and Swallowing Coordination
Goal Example: Within 6 months, the child will chew food thoroughly and swallow safely without coughing or gagging in 90% of opportunities during snack time, enhancing oral-motor coordination.
Building Self-Feeding Skills, Like Using Utensils
Goal Example: Within 3 months, the child will use a spoon to self-feed independently with minimal spillage in 4 out of 5 opportunities during mealtime.
These are just a few examples of goals that might be addressed in therapy. Your child’s therapists will work closely with you to create specific, personalized goals that align with your child’s developmental needs and your family’s priorities.
Schedule a Caregiver Training Session With Your Therapy Team: NEW at Westside
At Westside, we believe that strong collaboration with parents and caregivers is key to achieving the best outcomes for every child. By working closely with you, we ensure regular updates on therapy goals and progress, provide education on how to carry over strategies into the home and community, and create a space where your questions and feedback are addressed quickly. This partnership also offers extra support as you navigate your child’s therapy journey.
Our goal is to meet with parents and caregivers at least once a month to discuss progress and adjust goals as needed. If you haven’t already scheduled a session, reach out to your clinic’s operations manager or your child’s therapist today. Most sessions are covered by insurance, making it easier than ever to stay connected with your child’s care team.
Let’s work together to ensure your child’s continued success!
