Some parents are lucky. Their children are born with no complications; are potty trained by 18 months; speaking in sentences by two years old; and head off to kindergarten at five years old and never look back. Ivy League schools, here we come.

Then there are the rest of us parents… We hit bumps in the road with our children. Thank goodness for community colleges. (Joke)

Perhaps there is a language delay. Or your child just can’t seem to stay seated on a chair. It’s as if the earth’s tectonic plates always shift under your child’s chair. Or meltdowns seem more frequent and intense than other people’s kids. Perhaps your child’s backpack looks like a cross between a garbage can and recycling bin.

After exasperation and complete denial you were ever like this (ahem), what is a parent to do?

Ask for help.

There are an abundance of services and networks of professionals available whom are trained and ready to help your child. Engage the Brain has developed a glossary of the most popular education services and a brief description of what each provides.

 Glossary of Education Services

 Speech and Language Pathologist

A specialist who evaluates and treats patients with speech, language, and cognitive-communication issues. Speech and sound production; articulation; fluency – think stuttering; language development – comprehension and expression; even feeding and swallowing issues

Occupational Therapy

 The primary goal of occupational therapy is to enable people to participate in the activities of everyday life. Occupational therapy can help improve motor, cognitive, sensory processing, communication, and play skills.

Physical Therapy

 Physical therapists (PTs) are highly-educated, licensed health care professionals who can help patients reduce pain and improve or restore mobility – in many cases without expensive surgery and often reducing the need for long-term use of prescription medications and their side effects. PTs use exercises and special equipment to help patients achieve mobility.

Counseling

 Counselors work with students on many different topics. Some use talk therapy or play therapy to assist a child in identifying problems and developing strategies to work through them. Other counselors specialize in working with high school age students and assist them with career and or college decisions.

Social Skills

 Some children have a hard time in social situations. Whether it is in the classroom or at Boy Scouts, some children need explicit directions on how to negotiate a social situation: taking turns, winning and losing gracefully, teasing and being teased. There are professionals who specialize in developing these critical life skills.

Academic Tutoring

 When school becomes challenging for your child, it may be time to consider an academic learning specialist. Learning specialists can assess your child to help you understand what your child knows, and just as important, where there may be some holes in her learning that are causing the learning challenges. Learning specialists then form a plan to help your child develop the skills needed to successfully navigate all her schoolwork.

Wrapping it Up

It Takes a Village is a real axiom when it comes to raising children. Inevitably a parent will need to enlist the help of a professional when a child hits a bump – however big or small. Understanding there IS help available is critical for parents and knowing some of the educational services professionals provide can help you determine who to contact.

Engage the Brain works with many wonderful education professionals who provide an array of services. We would be happy to speak to you and help point you in the best direction for your child.

David Karch (Engage the Brain Learning Specialist)