When parents face the fact that their child needs professional help in their development, they are often confused: where to start, which therapy to choose, how long to do each of them. Due to their lack of information and despair to do as much as possible within the shortest possible time, they may choose therapies that are counterproductive to each other, as therapists do not communicate with each other. They are looking for answers online, not necessarily finding the most appropriate solutions and therapies.
Ideally, if a child is receiving therapy from a group of experts consisting of movement therapists, speech therapists, psychologists, etc. they see the child as a “case” and would evaluate the condition and suggest the next therapy needed rather than only focusing only on the area they develop as individual professionals.
This methodological handbook is also promoting the establishment of case-management centres, that would enable helpers and any key figures in the life of the child to start to work as a team and to communicate with each other, evaluate the current condition of the child and suggest the next step. This would release the parent from the responsibility of deciding about the therapies without having the necessary knowledge. The model we suggest is one possible approach to dealing with the complex challenges related to supporting the best development of a disabled child. It is always the parent’s or parents’ decision what approach they feel most comfortable with. The authors believe that currently the most effective approach to the coordination of development and other therapies is case management, but even within the method the parent(s) have a wide range of choices from agreeing with a professional special education expert to become the case manager to becoming case managers themselves.
The target groups of this handbook are therapists and the parents. In an ideal case, both should consider the information provided to make the best decision.