Natural Environment

It is well known that children learn best when they are in their natural environment. So, what does that mean? Natural environment refers to where ever your child would normally be during the day. If they are typically at home during the day, then their natural environment would include their home. If they typically go to daycare everyday, then their natural environment would include their daycare. If you are a family that regularly goes to the playground or the beach, then those are your natural environments. Clinics, doctors offices, and hospitals are not natural environments.

When we give children the opportunity to learn and practice skills in their natural environment they are more likely to succeed. Natural environments reflect the natural obstacles to success, whereas a clinic cannot.

For example if you are working on helping your child learn to put away their toys, at home they have free access to many toys and can simply move onto the next things. At a clinic, the child would have to clean up the toys before the adult would release the next toy. While that strategy works, it is just an incredibly challenging way to live. Clinics do a great job of keeping things black and white, and while that has it’s place, things are rarely black and white in our natural environments. Which can make it stressful for everyone involved. You may find yourself thinking, well my child can do these skills at the clinic but they refuse to do them when I ask, and then you start blaming yourself for the unreasonable expectation set before you.

When we work in natural environments we are able to easily identify areas of challenges and strengths and address them for what they are. If your child is struggling at mealtime, it may not have anything to do with what food you present them, or how you prepare it. It may be due to a transition skill, which would be completely missed if it was not directly seen in the home.

We go where you go. We can meet you at your home, the beach, the playground, the library, the grocery store, the mall, a restaurant, on a walk, or where ever you may be. Therapy is not another thing you have to fit into your day. Good therapy seamlessly flows in with you regular routine.

Updated: 04/2024