Why Choose the At-Home Model for Pediatric OT and PT?
Several years ago, when I became a new mom, working as a home occupational therapist began as a matter of convenience for me. I was able to create my own schedule and work around the schedule of my children; it was a no-brainer as a therapist and mom that this was the right fit for my life at that moment. Over these past few years, however, I have fallen in love with the at-home therapy model and am truly amazed at the outcomes I have seen with my clients. Through the at-home therapy model, we are able to make real changes at the home, family life, and environmental level that can have a huge impact in a child’s life. Read more below about why at-home therapy might be the just right fit for your child and family!
The comfort that home provides allows for building of optimal therapeutic relationships: As pediatric therapists, we rely on the relationships that we build with each child to achieve optimal therapeutic goals. Through at-home therapy, we are able to allow a child to lead the pace of the session in their own space and place of comfort, making it much easier to establish this relationship.
Home Programs and environment modifications can be applied to a specific home and family schedule: Often therapeutic techniques include environmental modifications or suggestions of activities or exercises to incorporate throughout a child’s daily routine. In this way, we can help a family support their child within their already established routine to avoid the feeling of added “homework.” The at-home therapy model allows us to learn more about a family’s lifestyle and home environment so that our recommendations can be specific to the family and thus have improved outcomes.
Scheduling can often be flexible around a child or family’s schedule: I have found this to be especially beneficial for the infant population. With an ever-changing sleep and feeding schedule, scheduling for an infant can be particularly challenging. As a therapist, we want our clients to be at their best for our therapy sessions so that we can offer the most therapeutic benefits; a sleepy or hungry baby is simply not at their best… With the at-home therapy model, we can often adjust treatment times each week to accommodate an infant’s schedule and make the most out of each treatment session.
Convenience cannot be excluded as a valuable factor: It can be very challenging to fit therapy sessions into a child and family’s busy schedule; transportation time and scheduling at outpatient therapy centers often cause families to sacrifice other activities or even quality family time to prioritize OT and PT treatment sessions. The at-home therapy model eliminates the need for transportation and can easily be incorporated into a family’s well-established routine. We often even include siblings into our treatment sessions for added motivation and fun!
If this model feels right for you, or if you are interested in learning more about the pediatric physical and occupational therapy services that Tiny Transformations provides, contact us today!