Here are five simple changes you can make to help make your therapy sessions even better!
Add liquid soap to paint to make it wash out easier and to make it stretch so you get more bang for your buck.
Always make an example beforehand when doing a craft in therapy. A pile of materials does not translate into “We’re going to make an octopus” to a child, and it’s far more motivating to participate when you can see the finished product.
Conventional wisdom says that the therapist should be positioned on the side of the child’s “better” ear. However, I think that if you’re doing your job correctly, both parent and therapist should be equal participants in the session, and most children have balanced (bilateral) ears these days anyway. I prefer to position the child on the side of my non-dominant hand. This leaves my dominant hand free to manipulate materials (which I’ve hidden off to the side) and free to take data.
When presenting items to the child or laying things out on the table, always place/present them from left to right from the child’s perspective. This reinforces L → R reading orientation (obviously, reverse this if you’re using a language that’s read R → L).
Always have a toy ready on the table for the child to play with while you speak to the parents/caregivers about the progress of the past week. Make sure it’s a quiet toy and fun-but-not-too-fun so the child doesn’t have difficulty parting with it when it’s time to begin the session. Bring the toy out again at the end of the session when you and the parent discuss goals.
Elizabeth A. Rosenzweig 