Why Are Home Programs Important in Occupational Therapy?

Now that summer is here, everyone's got vacation on the mind. But how do us therapists make sure that progress we made doesn't plateau or regress during the summer months? We use home programs!

Home programs are a series of activities that a professional provides for a client to continue at home to supplement and promote carryover programs done in the clinic. Think of it as therapy homework.The truth is, we only see you once, maybe twice a week. During summer it's often even less than that, and for 30-60 minutes at a time! You're not with us for more time than you are with us. So, our goal is to provide the support to carry into your everyday life, school, outings, home, in the community.Home programs can be for anything that you're working on in therapy, which might include:

• • fine motor skills
  • feeding
  • sensory integration
  • pre-writing
  • gross motor skills
  • self-regulation
  • social skills

It's all about passing the torch so that you can make progress faster. We're not miracle workers, and we're not magicians. We provide you with the tools and support you need to make progress outside of the therapeutic setting. We're part of your team.

Be sure to ask your therapists about home programs. Trust me, we love to know you want to take an active part in therapy outside of the clinic. You can also purchase my home programs here. If it seems daunting, don't fret! It's mostly using what you already have at home to incorporate aspects of therapy into your average day. We know life in general can be overwhelming, with these home programs, our goal is to assist in making very small lifestyle changes in order to create long-term progress with ease. Do you use home programs? How have they affected you or your loved one's progress?Leave a comment below and let me know!