Keeping up Therapy Progress in the Summertime

Summer is here and with it comes warm-weather fun, family vacations, and often a break from school and other commitments. However, an extended break from ABA therapy is probably not in your child’s best interest. As with many other things, routine and consistency in therapy are critical for your child, and summer is the perfect time to build on the momentum of progress made throughout the school year.

One change to therapy scheduling that may be beneficial is actually increasing therapy. If your summer brings some flexibility with it, and you feel like the current duration or frequency isn’t enough, this is something to look into. That said, there are additional things you can do to help your child continue to progress and avoid any potential regression over the summer.

Aim for a Consistent Schedule

Perhaps the most important thing you can do is to keep up the routine at home. Of course, days will look different from during the school year and the schedule may look different from day to day, but work to keep routines like wake-up, mealtimes, bedtime, and other routines as consistent as possible. Consistency creates predictability. Another way to promote predictability is to use a visual calendar to keep your child aware of the daily schedule and any changes to it.

Consider Social Skills

Some parents notice a bit of a backslide in social skills over summer months. In the absence of everyday classroom interactions, a child’s social skills may fall out of practice even if they are making progress on their goals at therapy. The good news is, there are plenty of summertime activities that lend themselves to authentic practice with social skills. Daycare or day camp or even something as simple as an outing to the park or splash pad could offer an opportunity to keep those skills sharp.

Consult Your Experts

Talk to your child’s ABA therapist as you work on a plan for maintaining skills. Your therapist will be able to give you an idea of what specific skills you might work on at home, how to work on them, and how often to do so. They are one of your best resources to help you help your child. We provide Aba Therapy  in  North Virginia,  West Virginia and surrounding areas like Leesburg and Ashburn.