3 Questions You Need to Ask Your Child's Therapist

You sit in the waiting room for an hour. The therapist brings your child out, hands them to you, and says, "He did great today. We're working on core strength."

You nod enthusiastically. You get in the car. You realize you have absolutely no idea what that means, what was achieved, or what you're supposed to do about it between now and next Tuesday.

You are the CEO of Development.

When a child requires pediatric therapy (physio, occupational, speech, etc.), parents usually adopt a passive role. They view the therapist as the expert orchestrating the entire process.

But the therapist is a consultant. The session is one hour a week. You have the child for the remaining 167 hours. You are the Product Manager. You have to ensure the deliverables are met.

Project Language

The problem is a communication gap. Therapists speak in clinical terms. You need them to speak in "Project Language"—actionable, measurable tasks.

Here are the three questions you need to ask at the end of every session:

1. "What is the specific milestone we are targeting this month?"
   Don't accept "better balance." Demand "standing on one foot for 3 seconds." You need a clear KPI.
2. "What does the invisible win look like?"
   Kids don't jump from zero to mastery. What is the tiny, easily missed behavior that proves the neural pathway is forming? What should you be looking for on a random Thursday afternoon?
3. "What is the 'frictionless integration' for this week?"
   You don't have time to do 45 minutes of "homework exercises" every night. You need to know how to integrate the therapy into things you already do. "When he reaches for the remote, make him grab it with his left hand." Make it frictionless.

Learn more about Project Language and managing your child's developmental team in the Pediatric Therapy Guide.