How Do I Know What Type of Therapy Is Best for My Child?

As a parent, you may notice that your child is having difficulty with something, but knowing what kind of support they need can be much harder.

Maybe your child is not communicating as clearly as you expected. Maybe everyday routines like getting dressed, eating, or getting ready for school have become challenging. Perhaps your child struggles with sensory experiences, transitions, social interactions, or learning new skills.

You may find yourself wondering: Does my child need speech therapy, occupational therapy, ABA, or some combination of these services?

The good news is that you do not have to figure it out on your own.

In our office, we work with children and families to understand individual strengths, challenges, and goals so we can help determine what types of therapy may be most beneficial.

Start With Your Child’s Individual Needs

There is no single therapy that is right for every child.

Children develop at different rates, and developmental concerns can overlap. A child who has difficulty communicating may also experience frustration or challenges with social interaction. A child who struggles with sensory processing may also have difficulty participating in classroom activities or daily routines.

Rather than starting with a specific type of therapy, it can be helpful to start by asking:

1. What is my child having difficulty doing?

2. How is this affecting their everyday life?

3. What skills could help them communicate, participate, learn, and become more independent?

These questions can help guide the conversation about what type of support may be appropriate.

When Might Speech Therapy Help?

Speech therapy is about more than helping a child pronounce words correctly.

A speech-language pathologist can support children with communication and language skills, including:

• Understanding and following language

• Expressing wants, needs, thoughts, and feelings

• Building vocabulary and sentences

• Speech sound development

• Social communication

• Using alternative or augmentative communication (AAC)

• Certain feeding and swallowing concerns

For example, a child may understand much of what is being said to them but have difficulty expressing themselves. Another child may use words but struggle to participate in conversations or communicate with peers.

Speech therapy focuses on helping children develop effective ways to communicate and participate in the world around them.

When Might Occupational Therapy Help?

Occupational therapy helps children develop skills that allow them to participate more successfully in everyday activities.

For children, this might include:

• Fine motor skills

• Handwriting

• Dressing and other self-care skills

• Feeding and mealtime skills

• Sensory processing

• Coordination and motor skills

• Play skills

• School participation

• Independence with daily routines

You might consider an OT evaluation if your child becomes easily overwhelmed by certain sounds, textures, movements, or environments, or if they have difficulty with tasks that seem simple for other children.

An occupational therapist can help identify what may be making these activities challenging and work with your child to build skills and strategies that support greater participation and independence.

When Might ABA Be Helpful?

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is an individualized approach that can help children develop meaningful skills and reduce behaviors that interfere with learning, communication, or participation.

Depending on a child's needs and goals, ABA may support:

• Communication

• Social skills

• Learning and skill development

• Daily living and independence

• Following routines

• Flexibility and transitions

• Safety skills

• Behaviors that interfere with participation

ABA is not simply about changing behavior. Effective, individualized ABA focuses on understanding what is happening behind a behavior and teaching skills that can help a child communicate, learn, participate, and become more independent.

Can My Child Benefit From More Than One Therapy?

Short answer: absolutely.

Children are complex, and their needs do not always fit neatly into one category.

For example, a child may benefit from speech therapy to develop functional communication, occupational therapy to address sensory or fine motor challenges, and ABA to support communication, routines, social skills, or other individualized goals.

When multiple therapies are appropriate, collaboration between providers can help ensure that everyone is working toward meaningful goals for the child.

You Don't Need to Know the Answer Before You Reach Out

One of the most important things for parents to know is that you do not need to diagnose your child or determine the right therapy before asking for help.

You may simply have a concern.

Maybe you have noticed that your child's speech is difficult to understand. Maybe they struggle with feeding or getting dressed. Maybe transitions regularly lead to frustration. Or perhaps you feel like your child is having difficulty participating at home or school in ways you cannot quite explain.

Those observations matter.

Our team provides speech therapy, occupational therapy, and ABA in Utah and California, giving families access to professionals who can help identify areas of need and determine what types of support may be a good fit.

Our goal is not to put your child into a category. It is to understand your child, their strengths, challenges, interests, and goals and help them develop the skills they need to participate more fully in everyday life.

Ready to take the next step?

You don't have to wait until a concern becomes overwhelming, and you don't have to know exactly what your child needs before reaching out.

If you're wondering whether your child could benefit from speech therapy, occupational therapy, ABA, or a combination of services, we’re here to help you navigate the next step.