When our children are born, we look down at those little faces and imagine all the things they can be. When they are in preschool, we dip our toes into those interests. We watch them twirl in front of the mirror in their first dance class, we watch them run the wrong direction in a soccer game, we watch them cling to the wall during swim lessons. As they get a little older, we cheer loudly at that basketball game and realize they're pretty good at dribbling. We think that maybe all those flips they do in the living room might be worth some time in gymnastics. We start to realize that the singing in the shower and drumming on the couch cushions could be real talent. So we explore our options, we sign up for private lessons, and we join travel teams. We spend our weekdays and weekends shuffling them to practices, tournaments, and competitions. We watch our children work hard and then excel at their passions, their talents, their dreams. We buy more equipment, shoes, tights, gloves, bobby pins without really thinking about it. It's just part of it...because we are helping them get where they want to be. For some, it leads to college scholarships or careers. For others, it's part of a life well lived. For all, it has taught them valuable lessons about working hard, failing and getting back up, friendship, teamwork, and strength of character. We have fond memories of cheering them on, meeting new people, and knowing that we did all we could to help them pursue those passions. It was not easy; at times, it was exhausting and expensive, and not what we wanted to be doing. However, we most likely would not have changed a thing, and we know that all of us are better for having done this. For most of us, we probably don't add up the bottom dollar, but in truth, we spend THOUSANDS of dollars on our children's extracurricular activities throughout their lives.
So now, let's consider the child with special needs. They might try an activity and explore some interests, but for many of them, their passion may not always fall in the realm of typical team sports or activities due to sensory or social issues. However, these activities teach all of those valuable lessons we mentioned above--working hard, failing and getting back up, friendship, teamwork, strength of character, and a career/meaningful life. Where do they learn those skills? They learn them in therapy. You don't stop private lessons when your child has mastered a skill; you keep going because you wonder what they can do next. It continues until they reach adulthood and are successful.
So, what if we treated therapy as your child's extra- curricular activity? What if it got the same focus and attention that was given to pursuing other talents? If we started at preschool and continued through high school, and we prioritized it, imagine the outcomes we would achieve. An individualized therapy program works...as therapists, we look at your child with the ultimate goal of a successful, happy, independent adult. Every goal we write and work on is to reach that end goal. As we master something, we are already thinking ahead to the next step and how to get there. However, it takes time. You can't stop when you start to look good because you won't make it to the finish line. It's hard, it's exhausting...but it's incredibly rewarding IF we can get there.
We are conditioned as a society to think that our insurance should cover all of our healthcare costs. Insurance can be helpful, but it might not cover all the costs. We talk with our kids all the time about a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. The fixed mindset gets you to a stop sign, but the growth mindset keeps you moving forward. In our society, it's easy to look at social media and see the big award shows and championship games and think, "Let's do what it takes to pursue our dreams and achieve our personal best." Every child has a personal best. For some, it's a Super Bowl ring or performing on Broadway. For others, it's a successful career and a happy family. For everyone, it should be feeling valued and contributing to the greater good to the best of my ability.
We strive to find your child's personal best, and we want you and your child to have lives well lived. We are your child's extra- curricular activity, and if you invest in us, we think you'll be pleased with the outcome!
So now, let's consider the child with special needs. They might try an activity and explore some interests, but for many of them, their passion may not always fall in the realm of typical team sports or activities due to sensory or social issues. However, these activities teach all of those valuable lessons we mentioned above--working hard, failing and getting back up, friendship, teamwork, strength of character, and a career/meaningful life. Where do they learn those skills? They learn them in therapy. You don't stop private lessons when your child has mastered a skill; you keep going because you wonder what they can do next. It continues until they reach adulthood and are successful.
So, what if we treated therapy as your child's extra- curricular activity? What if it got the same focus and attention that was given to pursuing other talents? If we started at preschool and continued through high school, and we prioritized it, imagine the outcomes we would achieve. An individualized therapy program works...as therapists, we look at your child with the ultimate goal of a successful, happy, independent adult. Every goal we write and work on is to reach that end goal. As we master something, we are already thinking ahead to the next step and how to get there. However, it takes time. You can't stop when you start to look good because you won't make it to the finish line. It's hard, it's exhausting...but it's incredibly rewarding IF we can get there.
We are conditioned as a society to think that our insurance should cover all of our healthcare costs. Insurance can be helpful, but it might not cover all the costs. We talk with our kids all the time about a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. The fixed mindset gets you to a stop sign, but the growth mindset keeps you moving forward. In our society, it's easy to look at social media and see the big award shows and championship games and think, "Let's do what it takes to pursue our dreams and achieve our personal best." Every child has a personal best. For some, it's a Super Bowl ring or performing on Broadway. For others, it's a successful career and a happy family. For everyone, it should be feeling valued and contributing to the greater good to the best of my ability.
We strive to find your child's personal best, and we want you and your child to have lives well lived. We are your child's extra- curricular activity, and if you invest in us, we think you'll be pleased with the outcome!