We found this wonderful sign that we have hanging in the waiting room, and it says, "Yay!!! You're here! It has meaning for us on lots of levels, but the biggest one relates to the fact that you made it in the door.
For many people, going to therapy starts when their kids are little. They felt like something was wrong, they had a good pediatrician, they knew the right people to start that journey. Early intervention is incredibly important! For some, it ends there...because you were in the right place at the right time, and you got the treatment you needed to be successful. For others, you end up being there for the long haul. For still others, you come and go a little bit. However, ANY time is a good time to start therapy! There is such a thing as "middle school intervention," "teenage intervention," and "young adult intervention," too! That's because we all figure things out at different times and different rates. It may be that you knew something was wrong, but you couldn't find the right people to help you out. It might be that your child is just a little quirky, and things didn't get hard until they got older. It could be that you hit a transition--middle school, high school, college, time to get a job. Perhaps your child comes to you and says I've always felt different, and I don't know what to do.
The great news is that it's never too late! Our space might look like it's designed for little kids, but we've got plenty of space for big kids, too. We understand how hard it is to get your older kids off the couch, out of their bedrooms, and into the outside world. It relates to executive function. Executive function is a buzz word these days, and it encompasses a lot--emotional control, shifting your attention, self-monitoring, initiating tasks, working memory, planning/organizing, task monitoring, and self-control. Add social issues to that--trying to interact with peers and adults, figuring out social media, finding your voice appropriately with today's social issues. It's no wonder it seems like a good idea to stay home!
Speech-language therapy and occupational therapy address all of the struggles mentioned above. We are outside the box thinkers, and we do therapy in a variety of formats (and locations, if need be, as we do enjoy a good field trip!) in order to start working through real life issues. It involves understanding that you do have control and you just need the right tools to be successful. We set goals and help our young adults figure out how they are going to reach them. We hold them accountable so they can become independent. They may be big, so we can't pick them up and move them anymore, but their brains are not fully developed, and they need support to make those next steps. We are here to build that relationship and give them confidence so that they can get there. Everyone needs to find their purpose, and we can't do that if we get stuck.
"But they have to buy into it," you say. "It will be their choice." Not necessarily...for our little kids, we have a "three times rule." You have to try something 3 times before you say you don't like it. It's a good rule in general. Let's get them out the door. It may be out of their comfort zone but look what they can achieve!! Like the proverb says, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." And we will say, "Yay!!! You're here!"
For many people, going to therapy starts when their kids are little. They felt like something was wrong, they had a good pediatrician, they knew the right people to start that journey. Early intervention is incredibly important! For some, it ends there...because you were in the right place at the right time, and you got the treatment you needed to be successful. For others, you end up being there for the long haul. For still others, you come and go a little bit. However, ANY time is a good time to start therapy! There is such a thing as "middle school intervention," "teenage intervention," and "young adult intervention," too! That's because we all figure things out at different times and different rates. It may be that you knew something was wrong, but you couldn't find the right people to help you out. It might be that your child is just a little quirky, and things didn't get hard until they got older. It could be that you hit a transition--middle school, high school, college, time to get a job. Perhaps your child comes to you and says I've always felt different, and I don't know what to do.
The great news is that it's never too late! Our space might look like it's designed for little kids, but we've got plenty of space for big kids, too. We understand how hard it is to get your older kids off the couch, out of their bedrooms, and into the outside world. It relates to executive function. Executive function is a buzz word these days, and it encompasses a lot--emotional control, shifting your attention, self-monitoring, initiating tasks, working memory, planning/organizing, task monitoring, and self-control. Add social issues to that--trying to interact with peers and adults, figuring out social media, finding your voice appropriately with today's social issues. It's no wonder it seems like a good idea to stay home!
Speech-language therapy and occupational therapy address all of the struggles mentioned above. We are outside the box thinkers, and we do therapy in a variety of formats (and locations, if need be, as we do enjoy a good field trip!) in order to start working through real life issues. It involves understanding that you do have control and you just need the right tools to be successful. We set goals and help our young adults figure out how they are going to reach them. We hold them accountable so they can become independent. They may be big, so we can't pick them up and move them anymore, but their brains are not fully developed, and they need support to make those next steps. We are here to build that relationship and give them confidence so that they can get there. Everyone needs to find their purpose, and we can't do that if we get stuck.
"But they have to buy into it," you say. "It will be their choice." Not necessarily...for our little kids, we have a "three times rule." You have to try something 3 times before you say you don't like it. It's a good rule in general. Let's get them out the door. It may be out of their comfort zone but look what they can achieve!! Like the proverb says, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." And we will say, "Yay!!! You're here!"