Can I stay with my child during their visit?

EVALUATIONS: Parents and therapists should discuss a plan for their participation during the evaluation. Some children might require (or a therapist may request) that you remain in the room for the evaluation. If needed, a parent can view portions or all of an evaluation through a one-way mirror. Parents cannot participate in any evaluation activity that is conducted in a common room (gym) when other children are present.

WEEKLY SESSIONS:  Most children go back, one to one, with the therapist while parents wait in the waiting room, in their car, or run errands nearby (please check if this is appropriate for your child's session with the therapist first, and ensure your therapist has your contact info if going off-site). Parents can be a distraction during therapy and therapy may then be less effective for some children. If you prefer to be present for your child's session, please talk it over with your child's therapist, as every child and session is different!

However, caregiver education is critical to carryover at home and to a child's progress! We allot time for parent education and session review at the end of every session. If you have questions or feel like you need more time to speak with your therapist, please let them know at the start of the session so that she can budget appropriate time. Your therapist is likely to have another child on their schedule immediately after yours and may not be able to respond to emails, texts, or phone calls until later that day or the next day.

Some therapies require active parent participation or observation. In this case, your child’s therapist will invite you to a private therapy room. If you are observing therapy, you will remain in one room with the door closed to maintain your privacy and the privacy of others in the clinic. Parents are not permitted in any shared treatment areas, like gyms and our kitchen, to protect the privacy of other patients. 

 Comfortable play clothes and socks that will allow them to slide, climb, swing, and crawl with ease.  Our therapy gym looks kind of like an indoor playground. It is super fun! Depending on the therapy goals, your child may end up playing on scooter boards, slides, swings, rock walls, and more. 

No large meals before therapy! We don’t want full tummies becoming upset tummies while spinning, swinging, or crawling!  

Typically we ask caregivers to bring in food from home for feeding therapy. This will often include something they like and a food that they're working towards accepting in therapy. By using food from your home or a restaurant you frequent, we can work on carryover at home since they'll see those foods regularly. We do have snacks at the office.

Please let your therapist know if your child is on a special diet or has food allergies.  

BEFORE YOUR FIRST VISIT:  You will complete ‘new patient forms’ regarding your child’s medical and developmental history, their likes, dislikes, fears, strengths, challenges, allergies, and medications.

If you have questions above how to describe therapy to your child, ask the evaluating therapist beforehand! We can give you tips for explaining it in a developmentally-appropriate way.

FIRST 1-2 VISITS:  In addition, your therapist will also want to get additional information from you directly such as detailed interests (activities, songs, toys, snacks) and past therapy experiences. Clinic-based therapy is very play-based, and we want that play to be a fun experience tailored to your child’s interests and needs.

If you prefer to talk out of ear shot from your child or others, simply let your therapist know so we can arrange an alternative.

ONGOING:  Talk to your therapist about your goals for therapy — Although therapists have the training and ability to evaluate children and determine where they are struggling and how we can go about helping with that, it is YOU, the parent, who is the expert when it comes to your child. YOU are the one who is raising them and who sees the way their struggles affect them day in and day out. So YOU are the best to provide input to help guide and shape their treatment plan. 

In addition, if you're wondering when a child will be finished with therapy or need to change your schedule, speak to your child's therapist. We are happy to review progress and talk about the best path forward at any time.

Your child's initial evaluation should be completed within 1-3 weeks and will be sent to the patient portal (accessible through the website). You'll receive an email when the evaluation has been uploaded to the portal. If you can't find it on the portal 3 weeks after the evaluation, or have trouble accessing the portal, please contact our office at 770-641-8070. If you have questions about information in the evaluation or treatment-related questions, please contact your therapist directly.

Your therapist will provide you with information on your child’s session, progress and home activities. It’s critical for parents to carryover suggestions at home to help kids make faster and more meaningful progress in therapy. Feel free to bring a notebook, folder or phone to take notes. Your therapist may also send an email, text, video, written note, or call. Be sure to document your preferences in your intake form or tell your treating therapist your wishes.

Do you want more or less info? Do you want info presented in a different way (say video rather than email) or in a different place (like in a private space)? Please let us know and we’d be happy to accommodate you!

We require at least 24 hours’ notice to cancel both treatment sessions and evaluations!  This applies to sessions in the office and at schools. If you have a conflict (i.e. doctor's appointment, vacation, school field trip, etc.), please let your therapist know as soon as it's scheduled to give them time to shift their schedules accordingly. Similarly, when your therapist has to cancel or reschedule your child's session, they will let you know directly ahead of time. 

A weekly session is typically reserved specifically for your child. We require your child to attend at least 80% of their scheduled appointments in order to hold this spot for them. In addition, if your child misses three therapy sessions in a row, (i.e. three OT sessions, PT sessions, or speech sessions), they will be removed from the weekly schedule in order to allow us to serve other families. If you have an extenuating circumstance, please contact your therapist. 

Contact EACH of your therapists directly to cancel and reschedule! We have a strict ‘No Sick Kids’ policy. If your child has a fever (must be fever-free without medication for at least 24 hours), flu, COVID, yellow or green discharge coming out the eyes or ears, or any other yucky or contagious symptoms, call the clinic to cancel or reschedule. It’s okay if your child is sick, but it’s not okay to get other people sick if you could have prevented it. 

Please Ask!  Ideally you + your child + the therapist are a unified team. Therapy is collaborative, so ASK QUESTIONS! It’s okay to ask why a therapist is doing a certain activity with your little one. (Do it nicely, please.) And it’s okay to ask for clarification on something the therapist has explained if they used too much jargon or talked too fast and you are totally lost. And it’s definitely okay to ask what you can do at home to support your child’s progress. We love that!