Occupational therapy was our first. It was soon followed by recommendations for speech therapy, physical therapy, educational therapy, talk therapy, behavioral therapy, social skills therapy, and even equine therapy.

Because both of my sons have needed various therapies and interventions, but have vastly different requirements, we have been exposed to just about everything there is in the world of childhood therapies – good and bad.

We have spent more money on therapies in a month than our house payment.

We have met some of the best people and had great success in so many ways.

We have been bitterly disappointed in certain tactics and approaches, over the moon grateful for such creativity and care, and everything else in between.

It’s a lot. And sometimes, it’s just too much.

Can I Do This At Home?

The reality is, we are not even doing all the therapies that all the people tell us we need to do.

Speech therapy, physical therapy, educational therapy, and further occupational therapy are all interventions that have been advised for my sons. For various reasons, including not enough hours in the day, we are not doing them with therapists right now.

We may at some point. We may not.

The decisions we make regarding my sons’ treatment plans are carefully considered and weighed against all the other interventions we employ. It is fluid. It changes based on progress, age, development, need and honestly, money.

There is only so much intervention one child can take or should have to for that matter.

Moreover, the longer my children participate in various therapies, the more convinced I am that some of it can be done at home – often with even greater results. In fact, the best therapists we have worked with have a goal of teaching us what we need to know so that we can implement certain exercises and strategies in our real life (not just a 45 minute, one on one session).

While I would never negate the importance of these outside therapies, I would like to share what we have learned and different ways to create a more therapeutic environment at home.

Sometimes money is a factor. Sometimes, our child just can’t handle another session each week. Sometimes we can’t handle another session for our child each week. No matter what the reason, I want to encourage you that choosing to do a therapy at home is an excellent and quite doable option.

DIY Therapies For Children Series

In this new series,  I share various ideas and DIY strategies for completing therapies with our children on our own.

Topics Include:

 Occupational Therapy at Home

Occupational Therapy At Home - ADHD, Autism, SPD (sensory processing disorder)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT – for anxiety) at Home

How to help an anxious child - anxiety, adhd, spd

Speech Therapy at Home

Social Skills Therapy at Home