Are you the parent of a child with a disability? Your child may be autistic or have another neurodivergent disorder like ADHD or Tourette’s. Or perhaps your child has a physical disability, such as paraplegia, cerebral palsy, or another condition. Your child may have a learning, intellectual, or cognitive disability that impairs their ability to learn, retain information, and process their thinking,
Whatever the disability, as your parent, you obviously want what’s best for your child. That’s why you should engage them in therapy, or treatment, with qualified healthcare professionals like those who have completed an online post master’s FNP or another therapeutic qualification.
This helpful article will share the six key therapies for children with disabilities and what each type of therapy is useful for. So, continue reading to learn more about this valuable topic.
1. Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapists, or OTs, for short, use a whole-person perspective to work with disabled individuals, groups, and communities to achieve ideal health and well-being through participation in the occupations of life.
The term ‘occupation’ is used within the therapeutic context to describe all the everyday things we do in our life roles, such as work, study, or whatever keeps us busy. But it can also refer to the things we do to shape our identity, create a meaningful life, and engage with the wider community.
An OT is a great intervention for an autistic child, as it can support them in engaging in life, practicing skills like emotional regulation and fine and gross motor skills, which can be delayed in autistic kids, and even working on things like handwriting.
2. Speech Therapy / Pathologist
A speech pathologist is a trained and qualified therapist who can help disabled kids communicate or help if they have trouble eating and drinking. They can provide practical interventions to assist with this.
Speech pathologists work with people of all ages, but some have taken specialized training to work with kids. They can help a disabled child when they have trouble understanding and talking with others, such as due to a speech impediment, a physical, neurological, or other disability that impedes speech. They also help with reading, spelling, and using technology or other methods to communicate.
3. Equine Therapy
A form of talking therapy, equine-assisted psychotherapy uses horses to assist the therapeutic process and intervention. Kids engage in activities such as grooming a horse, feeding, and leading a horse while being supervised by a mental health professional and sometimes a horse trainer.
Outcomes of this form of therapy include helping kids with disability develop skills such as emotional regulation, responsibility, and self-confidence. This can be an excellent intervention for autistic and ADHD kids who might struggle with these life skills. Most kids love horses, and this can be an excellent alternative to a traditional psychologist’s office.
4. Play Therapy
Play therapy is a type of therapy used primarily for children. It can be useful for any child who has issues with emotional regulation or who has experienced trauma, which could be the case with your disabled child. Play is an excellent way to engage in therapy because children may not be able to effectively process their own emotional responses to situations or express problems to parents or other adults.
While it may look like an ordinary playtime, play therapy can be much more than that.
A trained therapist can use playtime to observe and gain insights into a child’s problems. The therapist can then help the child explore emotions and deal with unresolved trauma. Through play therapy, kids can develop new coping mechanisms, and the therapist can support them in redirecting inappropriate behaviors.
Play therapy can be practiced by various licensed mental health professionals, such as psychologists, counselors, and psychiatrists. It can also be delivered by occupational therapists and social workers.
5. Physiotherapy
A physiotherapist is a trained professional who can assist a disabled child with a range of physical and neurological disabilities. While we usually think of physiotherapists as supporting people to regain function after a physical injury, they can actually also assist kids who may have difficulties with balance, and gross motor skills. This therapy can support kids to learn to crawl, walk or with other movements if their disability is preventing these normal developmental milestones.
Additionally, exploring innovative treatments such as stem cell therapy might provide future benefits in addressing physical and neurological challenges for children with disabilities.
6. Music Therapy
A music therapist is usually a professionally qualified musician who has undertaken postgraduate training in music therapy. This type of therapy utilizes music to address the emotional, social, and cognitive needs of children with disabilities. It is particularly beneficial for children with additional needs who perhaps struggle with communication and social skills, such as neurodiverse kids. Music therapists work with children to create a safe and supportive setting where they can explore their feelings and expression through music.
One of the main goals of music therapy is to improve communication skills. Children with certain disabilities often struggle to communicate effectively, which can lead to frustration, anger, inappropriate behavior and isolation. Through this therapy, kids can learn how to express themselves in different and new ways, using music and lyrics to express their thoughts and emotions.
In Summary
This helpful article has shared six key therapies for children with disabilities, for parents to read and understand the different therapies and what they can be used for.