Tips to Help Families Make the Most of Each Pediatric Therapy Visit and Their Therapist
“A good therapist treats the disability; the great therapist treats the child who has the disability”. (William Osler)
At T.E.A.M. 4 Kids, the therapists work very hard to treat each child and not just the disability. An important part of the pediatric therapy session is the education that is provided to the families. We encourage our families to be advocates for their children’s healthcare while they are with us and beyond. These are some simple tips to help families make the most of each visit and their therapist.
1. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
The therapists at T.E.A.M. 4 Kids have a wealth of knowledge just waiting to be shared with you. Don’t be shy about asking questions; we love it!
2. Make a list.
If you’re like me, the moment you leave the building is the moment you think of all the questions you wished you had asked. Before you see your therapist or between each therapy session, write down the questions that you have. This will make it much easier to get the answers you are looking for. It is also helpful to keep notes with the answers to these questions so you can share the information with other important people in your child’s life. For example: grandparents, parents who are not attending the therapy session, siblings, teachers, etc.
3. Explain the healthcare jargon please!
Just about every area of healthcare comes with its own list of jargon. These medical terms can be confusing so don’t be afraid to ask for some simplification. This applies to your therapists as well as our office staff. We are here to help you and your family and thrive on the interpersonal relationships we build. We would be happy to explain, elaborate, and answer questions you may have in person, via phone, or over email. This includes the therapy process, short and long term goals, the insurance verification process, prior authorizations, and more.
4. Research/Study.
Understanding the disability that your child has will help give you insight into how best to help them. Your therapists at T.E.A.M. 4 Kids are happy to suggest places to find good credible information. However, if you wish to pull up you laptop and surf the Internet be cautious what websites you research. Not every website with your search is accurate. If you are going to research online ask yourself these questions:
- Who is responsible for creating the web page?
- What is the content of the web site?
- How recent is the web site?
- Is the web site relevant to your research topic?
I hope these tips can help you and your family to make the most of each visit and your therapist!
– Josh