.in clinic vs. in home therapy.

First of all, I want to say THANK YOU for all of your encouraging words and sentiments about baby girl. I was so hesitant to share and so scared of being vulnerable, but it is amazing to see the community we have surrounding and supporting us.

They say it takes a village to raise children, and we are lucky that our village not only encompasses our friends and family near by, but also our extended JS family all over the world!!

Now onto today's post!! 

I wanted to share our experience with in home therapy services versus in clinic therapy services, as we have done both. I want to preface this by stating that each and every kid is different and what works for some children will not work for others. So this is purely my opinion and experience, but hopefully it can help others out there walking through the same thing.

I was having a conversation with a mother at the therapy clinic the other morning about why we chose to do in clinic therapy as opposed to in home therapy and after talking through our reasons, I thought this might be a good thing to share on the blog as I know a lot of my readers are walking through endless amounts of therapy with their kids.

We were first introduced to the world of pediatric therapy when Parker was seven months old. After missing quite a few developmental milestones, our pediatrician referred us to an early intervention center. Early intervention, in most states, is considered age birth to three and is a program used to help babies and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities. These programs focus on helping these children learn the basic life skills that typically develop in the first three years of life- physical, cognitive, communication, social/emotional, and self help. If a child has developmental delays and qualifies for services, the state is required to provide these services to the children and their families.

Research has shown that because children develop so rapidly in the first three years of life, that by beginning therapy services this early, it can alter the outcome of their lives. Many children with delays will be caught up to their peers by the time they graduate the early intervention services at age 3.

One of the pieces of equipment { a stander} they brought to our home to use

After receiving our referral from our pediatrician, a family services coordinator got in touch with us to coordinate all of the upcoming appointments. Parker was then assessed by a team of therapists and he qualified for physical therapy {1 time per week} as well as education therapy {1 time per week} which teaches the families how to teach and help their children. We were then assigned a therapist for each service he qualified for and we set up the recurring appointments.

The particular early intervention services that were available to us based off where we lived at the time were in home only. The theory behind in home therapy is that they use the objects, toys, and space in which the child already lives to make it easier for the therapy exercises to be part of their everyday life.

Stacking blocks in his high chair as part of therapy

While I understand the premise behind why in home therapy can be very successful, it never worked well for us. Parker did not do well when he was at home and I was around. It seemed like it was too much in his space for him. He would scream and throw ridiculous fits every single time his physical therapist came. It honestly became more of behavior management than physical therapy. And this went on for 2 years...each visit hoping it would get better. Some days were better than others, but I didn't see much progress in Parker and was very disappointed in how everything went.

A happy Parker during therapy time at home

Since this was our only option available for services and was my first experience with pediatric therapy, I didn't really know any better. We continued with it, and stuck by a physical therapist that I never really clicked with, but I didn't know what else to do.

We moved to Spokane when Parker was about 2.5 years old and after some initial difficulties with getting him involved in the early intervention services over here, we were assigned to a therapy center to continue his services.

After their assessments, they recommended physical therapy {2 times per week}, occupational therapy {1 time per week} and speech therapy {2 times per week}. I was surprised yet happy that they were recommending so much therapy for him. I had to fight in Seattle to get him services once a week, and here they were willing and wanting to see him up to 5 times each week!!

Learning to hold markers correctly and draw shapes at  Occupational Therapy

They did offer in home therapy services, but they also offered in clinic therapy as well. Since our experience was not very positive with in home, we decided to go with the in clinic therapy. 

And oh my goodness....this was the best decision we could have ever made for our kids!!

The first few times Parker would go back for services, I would come with him and sit in the room. He would throw his fits and cry and whine for me the entire time. So we changed our game plan and decided it was best for me to either watch through the mirrored glass, or to wait in the lobby. His behavior during therapy has been a complete 180. He is happy and pleasant and actually enjoys going to therapy now.

This has been the same for Lane. When he first started therapy, he would whine and cry if I was there and still occasionally cries when they take him back, but once they are out of my sight the behavior completely changes.

Lane's first therapy session

Another positive experience we have had with the boys being in clinic is that we have gotten to know many of the therapists that work at the clinic. Through seeing them in the hallways and them becoming familiar with the boys and our family, it makes it nice to know that there is a team supporting us. If one therapist is on vacation or gone, its easy to transition to a new therapist because they are already familiar with our boys. When you have someone come to the house, you really only get to know that one person and your child becomes just a name on a paper to the other therapists. This has been a huge bonus for us in getting to know so many of the wonderful therapists working with our children. And this particular therapy center goes from birth to eighteen years old, so even beyond the early intervention age they are able to be seen.

And an added blessing that I never saw coming was the community and breaks it has given me. Through waiting in the lobby while they are doing their therapy, I have been able to talk with other parents and see other children walking the same road we are. It's been nice to not be so alone and to know where to go for additional resources when needed. And sometimes if both of them are at therapy at the same time I can just drop them off and run to the store {kid free!!} during that time. It's been amazing and so good for all of us.

Learning how to crawl

Besides all of the above positives we have experienced for in clinic therapy, the best thing of all is the progress they have made. Parker made more progress in the first 6 months of being at the new therapy center than he did in the 2 years prior, and Lane is already significantly ahead of where Parker was at this age. I think a lot of their growth and progress has to do with the amazing services we are now receiving through our therapy center in Spokane.

I often times felt isolated when we were doing in home therapy because it was just me, Parker, and the therapist and there was no one else to talk to, compare to, or lean on for support. I also think for the boys having separation between their home and where they work hard has been a really great thing. Home is their safe place where they come to relax and can just be themselves, and the therapy center is where they work hard and are pushed, but they are able to leave it behind.

Obstacle course fun at therapy

I know that each person experiences different things and has had success with both types of therapy, but this has been our experience with the two. If anyone has any questions about early intervention or how to advocate for the services they feel their child needs, feel free to contact me. I know we have only been on this road about 4 years now, but I am happy to help where I can!!

Also, if you are having any concerns about your child's development, talk to your pediatrician and get a referral to an early intervention center. Starting your child in services early will give them the BEST possible start in life and I feel so lucky that we were able to start the boys so early. Even though we didn't have the greatest experience with in home therapy, it still made a huge difference in Parker's development and I would still recommend it to anyone trying to get their child the best start!!