The Airplane Analogy

So, many times I hear parents expressing concerns about their child by saying things like "My child can't..." or "I don't understand why my child doesn't..." or "What can I do to help my child?" The typical first step?...someone (doctor, teacher, friend, or family) refers the child for treatment of the delayed areas. Individual treatment can typically be received up to a few times per week. Listen, it is not often that you'll be told this, but one to two times per week for 30 to 60 minutes will be a waste of your time and money if you don't have the requisite knowledge to keep the strategies going outside of a therapy session. What I find parents often doing is pouring time and money into educating their child and spending little to no time educating themselves as the child's primary caregiver.

This reminds me of air travel and something I call "The Airplane Analogy." At the beginning of every flight, the flight attendants discuss a variety of safety tips during flight. One particular safety tip stands out to me. If there is a drop in cabin pressure and the oxygen masks come down, you are instructed to place the mask on yourself first and then assist any child accompanying you. Why is this? This is because in a difficult situation, how are you, as the parent, supposed to care for your child if you are incapacitated? Well, this is not dissimilar to what a parent should experience in the presence of an unexplained or daunting diagnosis such as communication delays or autism. In the presence of a difficult situation it is imperative that parents be equipped with the right knowledge before they can help their child. Parent education is vital in any therapeutic circumstance.

The Hanen Program for Parents can and should be used as a parents'/caregivers' first line of defense when the tough questions arise. If you teach yourself the same intervention strategies that the therapists use, your child will need less treatment in the long run since therapy will be an everyday occurrence!