5 Important Things I've Learned From Therapy

Even though I consider myself creative, and I enjoy the arts and have been involved in some form of art for most of my life, I am not an outside-of-the-box thinker.  I am creative inside the box.  If something comes with instructions then I can follow the directions to create something fun or beautiful.  If something does not come with instructions I have a very difficult time seeing the possibilities. With Oliver's therapy, both Speech and Occupational, I have learned how to force myself to think outside the box in order to teach him new concepts with old toys.  I want to share with you some of the things that I've found most valuable in continuing therapy at home during the week.

1. One toy can be used in a myriad of ways to teach many different concepts.  A memory card game does not have to be used according to the directions, instead you can use it as a matching game, or simply as visuals to introduce new vocabulary. If the images lend themselves, you could even use it for story boards.  In the same way, a bus with little people doesn't have to be used for only imaginary play, but you can set up an activity to teach concepts such as "on and off", "stop and go", "open and close", and much more.

2. While we want to push Oliver's mind, and increase his knowledge, we don't want to overwhelm him with too much information all at once so that his mind shuts down and learns nothing.  Introducing concepts one at a time, and then slowly combining them, is much more effective even if it takes longer. Patience is key here.

3. Give Oliver time to think.  It might take a while, but his brain is working trying to figure out the right answer, or how to solve the problem, or how to do what we've asked, and he needs time.

4. Don't give him too much time or he will get distracted from his task and you will lose him to another interest.  When that happens it will take time to refocus him, but do it.  It's important for him to not jump from one thing, to the next, and the next, but to remain focused on one activity at a time and finish it before moving on.

5. Don't assume Oliver has the knowledge if you've never purposefully taught it to him.  Even though it's something that seems as though he'd have learned it in everyday interactions or activities, he may not have, or he may not understand something even if he can spit out the word or do the action.  First teach him what you want him to know, over and over and over, and then give him the opportunity to utilize that new knowledge on his own.