The Early Years: Building the Foundation

During Emma’s first stage of therapy, the focus was on helping her interact with the people and world around her. Her care included:

• Physical therapy to improve balance, coordination, walking, and overall movement through play-based activities.
• Occupational therapy to improve body awareness and encourage independence during everyday routines like feeding and dressing.
• Speech therapy to support early communication through gestures, sounds, and simple words.

We made sure to include her parents in every session as well, and we showed them simple activities they could do during meals, playtime, and daily routines to reinforce new skills at home.

Preschool Years: Learning Through Play

Emma saw real improvements thanks to her therapy sessions. Soon, she was walking independently and communicating more easily, but she would also be starting preschool, which would introduce new challenges, such as following directions and interacting with classmates.

Our team adjusted her care plan to provide opportunities for her to work on the key skills she would need for this big change. We introduced fun activities that helped Emma:

• Follow multi-step directions.
• Improve attention during structured play.
• Develop stronger social communication with peers.
• Increase balance and coordination for playground activities.

Elementary School: Supporting Success in the Classroom

With a little hard work, Emma did very well in her preschool programs. But soon, she faced her next challenge: elementary school.

As before, her therapy goals shifted to address new challenges such as classroom participation, organization, communication, and confidence. We helped her improve skills for:

• Listening and expressing ideas clearly.
• Planning and completing multi-step activities.
• Managing busy morning and evening routines more independently.

We also introduced a new partner to Emma’s care: her teachers. Emma’s parents had been doing a great job of reinforcing her treatment plan at home, and we wanted to ensure she had the same opportunities in the classroom.

Growing Independence During the Tween Years

As Emma grew older, her therapy sessions became even more personalized. She no longer needed to focus on hitting developmental milestones, and we began encouraging her to set goals that reflected the activities that mattered most to her. This included:

• Better coordination for sports and recreation.
• Executive functioning skills to help her better plan, organize, and complete homework and other important tasks.
• Self-advocacy and communication skills.

Preparing for the Next Chapter

As Emma approached adolescence, therapy shifted again. Rather than introducing new skills, we helped her apply the skills she had already learned to more complex situations, such as:

• Building independence with school responsibilities.
• Strengthening communication for challenging social situations.
• Supporting participation in community events and extracurricular activities.
• Preparing for future educational and life goals.

By the time she was in high school, Emma’s therapy sessions looked very different from how they did when she was a toddler. However, the purpose was always the same: to build on previous successes and existing skills to prepare Emma for what comes next.

Reestablish routines early.

At least two weeks before school starts, adjust bedtimes, wake-up times, and mealtimes to be more in line with what your child can expect during the school year. By the time the first week of school arrives, they’ll feel more confident in their new routine.

Practice everyday school skills.

When you adjust your child’s schedule, set aside a few minutes each day to run through the school year’s morning routine, too. Think of it as a dress rehearsal where kids can practice loading up their backpacks, grabbing their lunch containers, or putting on their shoes.

Talk through the daily schedule.

Review what the entire school day will look like, from getting on the bus to coming home. That way, your child knows what to expect, which can help them feel less anxious about the upcoming change in routine.