5 Ways my OT Practice Changed Since Becoming a Mom

I love every one of my patients. I have been in the same clinic for almost six years now, and have developed a strong relationship with so many families. I remember thinking, “is it possible that I will love my baby as much (or more) than these kids?” The answer is yes, because having your own child is SO different. If I’m being honest, I have felt a little imposter syndrome as my job requires me to provide parenting advice; without the experience of ever having parented. While I thought I would be able to feel more confident about my recommendations after having my own child, my practice changed in so many more unexpected ways.

1. Babies and Kids are not robots - Of course I have always known this, but prior to having my own baby, I would make recommendations that were strictly textbook evidenced based information. This is still best practice, but I understand more than ever that sometimes, following the book is just not possible for some kids. We cannot expect them to follow all of the rules, even if the parent is doing it all according to plan. I am much more flexible with my thoughts about how to make suggestions work for each specific family. While there is always a “best choice” that may work for most, every child deserves their own plan.
2. I provide clear answers - Prior to being on the patient side of OT, I would leave too much up to the family, especially when the reason for seeking OT was not “severe” in my opinion. For example, when I would have the rare OT evaluation where the child could benefit from OT, but would likely be okay without it, I would leave the decision to start treatment up to the family. Now, I know that seeking professional help is not easy. With the millions of “experts” on Tik Tok, families are looking for someone they can trust to provide them with clear answers. I am careful to explain functional deficits that I am noticing and how it may affect the child’s future, what my recommendation is (whether or not to start services), what those services will look like, and what will be expected of the family both in treatment and at home.
3. I am an empathetic provider - I have always been sympathetic to my patient families. Empathy is much different. After Keely had a tongue tie release (something that I had previously seen as not a big deal at all), I realized that having to get extra help for your child is so hard, vulnerable, and actually a big deal no matter the deficit. I am able to better understand how it feels to want to and need to go above and beyond for your child.
4. I can ask the hard questions - I have always found it challenging to ask uncomfortable questions to get more information. Now, I know how important the little things are to a treatment plan, from family history to home life to other diagnoses. I understand that sometimes, families don’t even know where to look if there is a deficit, and I can point them in the right direction. Knowing if a family has tried genetic diagnostic testing, or visited a neuropsychologist can be helpful in guiding my treatment. If the family has never considered these options, giving them the tools and information they need to better understand their child is so important and valuable.
5. I use a family based approach - Each family is different. They have different routines, different structures, and different parts of their day are important to them. When making recommendations for home programs, I ask more questions about what parts of their day are most important to them, and find a way to incorporate home programming that is both convenient, and allows continuation of the most important parts of their day. For us, having breakfast as a family and “tender time” before bed together are the most important times of our day and bring us the most joy. Knowing this information about my clients would allow me to suggest incorporating home programming into these times, or avoid them completely. Families need to have a life outside of therapy, and that is okay.