Would you go to a speech therapist or occupational therapist (OT) if your kid is having trouble eating? What about for self-care skills… would you want an OT or a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA)?

I’ve had the pleasure of working with all types of therapists and one thing we have in common is that we all just want to help kids.

Learn the specific ways each therapist can help your family (and one therapist who may be doing more harm than good).

Learning about what each therapist does will help you start the conversation with your pediatrician about which one is right for your family.

First thing’s first:

What do PEDIATRICIANS really do?

They make sure your kids are safe and overall developing how they should.

They are the experts on medicine, so check with your pediatrician before giving your child any medicine or putting things on their skin.

Pediatricians direct your child’s care. They point you in the right direction for different specialties you might need.

Your child may be referred to…

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

Click HERE to read more about WHAT occupational therapists do and WHERE might be the best place for you to receive occupational therapy.

Anything (and I mean anything) you can think of that would make your child’s daily life better, think of occupational therapy first.

A child is often referred to occupational therapy for fine motor delays (trouble manipulating objects) or difficulties with sensory processing (which can look like a variety of things - that’ll be the subject for another blog!)

Consider a referral to occupational therapy if your child needs help with things like:

- Playing

- Potty training

- Getting dressed

- Trying new foods

- Using forks and spoons better

- Falling asleep/staying asleep

… and so much more!

Learn more: American Occupational Therapy Association

PHYSICAL THERAPY

Just like occupational therapists work on occupations,

Physical therapists work on your kid’s physical body.

Basically, a physical therapist helps your kid’s body move the best it can.

Consider a referral to physical therapy if your child:

- Needs help sitting, rolling, or standing

- Needs to learn to go up and down stairs

- Has developed a flat spot on head and/or tight neck

- Needs mobility device like leg braces, walker, wheelchair

Learn more: American Physical Therapy Association

SPEECH THERAPY

Let’s start with the obvious one: You’d want your child to be evaluated by a speech therapist if he is saying fewer words than expected for his age.

A speech therapist (or speech-language pathologist) can also help your child reduce stuttering and improve his ability to pronounce words correctly.

She can teach your child to communicate with a device like an iPad or tablet. (This is called “augmentative & alternative communication” or “AAC” for short).

Speech therapists are experts on the muscles in the mouth and throat that help your child speak. This means a speech therapist can also help your child learn to move food or drink around in their mouths and swallow safely.

Learn more: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

LACTATION CONSULTANT

Any medical professional can get the extra certification to become a lactation consultant. That means you can find lactation consultants that are nurses, occupational therapists, speech therapists, or physical therapists. They will have the letters “IBCLC” after their name, which stands for “International Board Certified Lactation Consultant.”

You’d want to see a lactation consultant if your baby is having trouble drinking from the breast or bottle (hard time latching, looks uncoordinated, taking too long).

You’d also want to talk to a lactation consultant if you have low milk production or if breastfeeding is too painful.

More information: What is a Lactation Consultant?

NUTRTITIONIST

A nutritionist looks at your kid’s intake of calories and nutrients. They try to get your child eating a good variety of foods to reach or maintain a healthy body mass index (BMI).

Consider a referral to a nutritionist if you’d like help with creating healthy eating habits and preventing things like malnutrition, obesity and/or diabetes.

FAMILY COUNSELING

All medical professions are going to be sensitive to your child’s family dynamics and mental health needs.

Family counselors have special training in helping children who experience things like anxiety or depression. They can help children process trauma or improve their anger.

APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS (ABA)

If you get referred to ABA I kindly encourage you to reconsider. 

Their whole goal is to increase behaviors they would like to see more of and to decrease behaviors they want to see less of.

They do this by rewarding “positive” things and ignoring “negative” behaviors.

To their credit, they're going to be very specific when they're working on things. For example, they’re not just going to say something like “Alex has a hard time paying attention in class.”They're going to say something like, “Alex stood up 10 times in an hour” and try to decrease the instances of him standing up.

Very important things like thoughts, feelings, self-esteem, and relationships with friends and adults are brushed to the side because they are not measureable.

People who have participated in ABA are now speaking out about their experiences. They comment on how certain behaviors have decreased, but it’s because they are hiding (or masking), their true selves.

ABA is about getting children to comply, and they deserve more than that.

Have I made it obvious that I would not advise going to ABA if your kid is having trouble with his self-care skills?

If your pediatrician suggests ABA, please start a conversation about getting a referral to occupational therapy instead.

Read what Autism Speaks says HERE

Read an article from Spectrum News HERE

Conclusion

If you need help with anything about your child’s care, you don’t have to go it alone. There are professionals with specialized training that can help. Find someone that feels right.

People from different backgrounds may be able to help you with different problems (OT’s can have experience with AAC, for example). The title of your therapist matters less than their continuing education and their actual experience with the problem you’re dealing with now.

Either way, starting anywhere is better than not starting at all.

Ready to have a conversation with your pediatrician?

If you are considering occupational therapy for your young child, grab your FREE VIRTUAL OT CONSULTATION!