Making Therapy Work: Beyond the Weekly Session

In this episode, Lauren Edmunds explains that sending a child to a single weekly therapy session is like doing ten sit-ups on a Friday and expecting a six-pack. She suggests that for therapy to actually "pay off," parents need to view the therapist like a personal trainer; the real results come from doing the exercises at home between sessions. While some tasks like colouring or household chores might seem trivial, Lauren points out that they build the foundational physical skills—like crossing the midline—required for higher-level learning like reading and writing.

To get the most out of this process, Lauren encourages parents to move past the jargon by asking therapists exactly how each activity helps. By incorporating movement—such as climbing trees, swimming, or even helping with the groceries—into daily life, parents help strengthen the brain-body connection in children. Ultimately, these everyday actions provide the "practice" where development actually occurs, making the work done in the therapist's office far more effective.