If you or your child receive multiple
therapies, you may have encountered the term “co-treating”. Co-treatment
involves receiving treatment for multiple disciplines during a single session.
This collaboration of therapy specialists can be of great benefit for clients.
The decision to implement co-treatment into your child’s therapy session is a
choice typically suggested by the current therapists with an agreement from the
caregivers. Take a look at some of the benefits we see during our co-treatments
with occupational therapy and speech therapy.
Benefits of
Co-Treatment:
- Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) and Occupational Therapists (OTs)
simultaneously deliver therapy utilizing and combining their own areas of
expertise.
- Both professionals coordinate and implement intervention goals, consistently
updating plans as your child progresses. This collaboration of disciplines
takes part with every child that we serve, not just those who are co-treated.
Therapists consistently discuss and advise each other to deliver the best
services possible.
- SLPs and OTs have overlapping areas of knowledge that can help advance
progress for the child.
- The combination of sensory or movement activities of occupational therapy and
the speech and language input of speech therapy can engage and excite your
child.
- If your schedule has time constraints, co-treatment can reduce the time spent
at therapy visits. Please note that co-treatment should not be chosen solely to
reduce time of visits to the office. Co-treatment needs to be ideal for your
child and help him/her to prosper with therapy goals.
- Your child will have opportunities to carryover skills and goals to different
environments, contexts and communication partners.
The goal of co-treatment is to deliver a full treatment
session working towards your child's goals with as much, if not more,
benefit as a one-on-one session. When co-treating you get the combined knowledge and
collaboration of two specialized therapists. As mentioned before, the decision
to implement co-treatment is specific to your child’s needs and personality.
Co-treatment does not meet every child’s needs, but it is always an option to
discuss with therapists. If you are interested or want to learn more about
co-treatment initiate the conversation with your child’s therapists and they
will be happy to thoroughly discuss the options.
By Kelly DuganLabels: Parents
