Often I will suggest doing a school visit in order to get an opportunity to see how your son or daughter is doing at school. In some cases, I will do this before I have met your child. This gives me the chance to do an observation before your child knows who I am. In this way, I get a fairly unbiased observation. School visits give me an unparalleled glimpse into your child’s social skills as well as their behavior in the classroom. for children who are having social issues, a school visit gives me a chance to watch your child interacting with peers in the classroom, on the playground and at lunch. For children who are having behavioral issues in class, an observation gives me a chance to identify subtle triggers and/or interventions that might be useful. I usually visit the school for 2-4 hours. During that time, I will observe your child and talk with as many teachers as I can in order to get the most information possible. School visits also give me a chance to establish a relationship with your child’s teacher. Teachers are an invaluable resource and I find that my work with children is far more effective when we collaborate. My experience is that teachers and administrators are enthusiastic about having me come in to the schools and often are quite willing to work with me throughout the course of my work with your child. Following my observation, I will schedule an appointment with you to discuss my impressions and generate a treatment plan. I will not write up a report about my observation. Rather, the information I gather will be used to develop subsequent strategies and interventions. I have found that teachers are willing to be much more open when they feel like they are talking in confidence. If they are concerned that I will be “reporting back” to the parents, they are usually much more discrete about what they share.
Prior to my visit, please talk with your child’s teacher and the school administrator to let them know that I wish to come in. Ensure that we have chosen a time for my visit that includes both structured and unstructured time (e.g., luch and/or recess). Make sure that there is no class trip or special programming that will interfere with my visit. if your child is sick on the day we have scheduled, make sure that you call me as soon as possible to let me know that they will not be in school that day.
If you are interested in scheduling a School Visit, please call me to discuss it further.