Therapy Navigation
Helping families understand therapy options with clarity, confidence, and ease.
Finding the right therapy for your child can feel overwhelming. With so many approaches—each with its own philosophy, techniques, and goals—it can be hard to know where to begin. Therapy Navigation breaks everything down into clear, practical information so you can make informed decisions rooted in your child’s strengths, developmental style, and your family values.
This page gives you straightforward descriptions of common therapies, guidance on how to choose what aligns best with your child, and tips for building a supportive team around them.
This guide includes therapy options across development—from early childhood through adolescence. Because therapy needs change over time, we’ve created separate guides for young children and for tweens/teens. See the downloadable guides below and at the bottom of the page under “Printables”.
Young Children (Birth–Early Elementary)
A step-by-step guide focused on early development, play, communication, and family-centered approaches
→ Download the guide
Tweens & Adolescents (Ages ~9–18)
A guide focused on emotional health, independence, social relationships, and school-related challenges
→ Download the guide
Choose the Right Therapy by Age
What You’ll Find Here
Common Therapy Approaches
A clear, parent-friendly overview of therapies often used to support speech, sensory processing, emotional development, learning, adaptive skills, and neurodevelopmental differences, including:
Speech-Language Therapy
Occupational Therapy (OT)
Physical Therapy (PT)
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) & Behavior Supports
Play-Based Developmental Models (e.g., FLOORTIME, ESDM, PLAY Project)
Parent Coaching & Relationship-Based Therapies
Mental Health Therapies for Young Children (e.g., PCIT, CBT adapted for early childhood)
Social Skills Supports
Feeding Therapy
Executive Functioning Coaching & Learning Supports
How to Choose What Fits Your Child
Choosing the right therapy is not about finding the most intensive option or the most popular approach—it’s about finding what fits your child’s developmental needs, your goals, and your family’s daily life.
Therapy is most effective when it is individualized, flexible, and supportive of real-life functioning—not just clinic-based skills.
Because needs look different across development, we’ve created two detailed guides to help you think through this process:
Therapy Guide for Young Children (Birth–Early Elementary)
This guide supports families of younger children and focuses on:
Early communication and play
Emotional and sensory development
Behavior and regulation
Family-centered intervention approaches
Building a balanced therapy plan early on
[Download the Young Child Therapy Guide]
Therapy Guide for Tweens & Adolescents (Ages ~9–18)
This guide supports families of older children and teens and focuses on:
Emotional and mental health support
Social relationships and communication
Executive functioning and independence
School-related challenges
Collaborative decision-making with your child
[Download the Tween/Teen Therapy Guide]
What This Section Helps You Do
Whether your child is young or older, this page is designed to help you:
Understand the range of therapy options available
Clarify what your child actually needs right now
Match therapy approaches to developmental stage and learning style
Consider what is realistic and sustainable for your family
You do not need to figure everything out at once. Most children benefit from starting with a small number of focused supports and adjusting over time.
Therapy Is a Flexible Process
There is no single “right” combination of therapies.
Many children benefit from a mix of supports such as:
Developmental therapies (e.g., play-based or behavioral approaches)
Allied health services (speech, OT, PT)
Mental health support
Parent and caregiver coaching
The goal is not to do everything—it is to build a plan that fits your child and evolves with them.
Next Step
If you’re unsure where to begin, start with:
Your child’s primary goals
Their developmental style
What feels realistic for your family right now
Then explore the detailed guides above or individual therapy pages to learn more.
The Role of Parents & Caregivers
Across all therapies, one of the strongest predictors of progress is caregiver involvement.
Therapy works best when strategies are:
Practiced in everyday routines
Reinforced across environments
Adapted to fit your family’s real life
You are not just supporting therapy—you are a central part of it.
Understanding
Evidence-Based Care
Some therapies are considered evidence-based, meaning strong research supports their effectiveness. Others are evidence-emerging, where early research and clinical experience are promising, but still developing.
Both can play a role in a thoughtful therapy plan. The goal is not to choose only one category, but to:
Understand what each therapy offers
Make informed decisions
Monitor your child’s progress over time
There Is No Single “Best” Therapy
No one therapy works for every child.
The most effective plans are:
Individualized
Developmentally appropriate
Flexible over time
Aligned with family values
It’s okay to adjust, combine approaches, or change direction as your child grows.
Things to Watch For
As you explore therapy options, be cautious of:
Programs that promise rapid or guaranteed results
One-size-fits-all recommendations (especially very high intensity without individualization)
Limited parent involvement
Approaches that do not respect your child’s communication, autonomy, or emotional experience
You should feel informed, respected, and included in decision-making.
As Therapy Navigation grows, each therapy type will have its own dedicated page with:
What the therapy is
What it looks like in sessions
Skills it supports
What research says
How to know if it’s the right match
Questions to ask providers
How families can support progress at home
What’s Next
Behavioral & Developmental
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Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
COMING SOON
Focus: Skill-building, behavior support, and learning through reinforcement
Best For: Communication, daily living skills, safety concerns, independence
Age: Early childhood through adolescence (most common in early childhood) -
Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs)
COMING SOON
(e.g., Early Start Denver Model [ESDM], DIR/Floortime, PLAY Project)
Focus: Learning through play, relationships, and natural environments
Best For: Early communication, social engagement, joint attention
Age/Developmental Level: Infants through early childhood (typically under 6)
Allied Health Therapies
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Speech-Language Therapy
COMING SOON
Focus: Speech, language, and social communication
Best For: Expressive/receptive language, articulation, AAC, social communication
Age: Infancy through adolescence -
Occupational Therapy (OT)
COMING SOON
(e.g., Early Start Denver Model [ESDM], DIR/Floortime, PLAY Project)
Focus: Daily living skills, sensory processing, and fine motor development
Best For: Sensory sensitivities, emotional regulation, independence in routines
Age: Infancy through adolescence -
Physical Therapy (PT)
Coming Soon
Focus: Strength, coordination, balance, and gross motor skills
Best For: Delayed motor development, gait, endurance, physical confidence
Age: Infancy through adolescence -
Feeding Therapy
Coming Soon
Focus: Eating skills, food variety, oral-motor coordination, and mealtime routines
Best For: Picky eating, limited diet, oral-motor difficulties, feeding aversions
Age: Infancy through childhood (sometimes beyond)
Mental Health & Emotional Support Therapies
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
COMING SOON
Focus: Thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and how they interact
Best For: Anxiety, emotional awareness, coping skills
Age: School-age children through adolescence (adapted for younger children) -
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Coming Soon
Focus: Psychological flexibility, values, and acceptance of emotions
Best For: Anxiety, rigidity, emotional avoidance
Age: Older children, adolescents -
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Coming Soon
Focus: Emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness
Best For: Intense emotions, impulsivity, interpersonal challenges
Age: Adolescents -
Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO-DBT)
COMING SOON
Focus: Overcontrol, perfectionism, and social connection
Best For: Rigidity, anxiety, social withdrawal, perfectionism
Age: Older children, adolescents -
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
COMING SOON
Focus: Gradual exposure to fears while reducing avoidance behaviors
Best For: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety
Age: School-age children through adolescence -
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
COMING SOON
Focus: Processing and reducing distress from traumatic experiences
Best For: Trauma, anxiety, distressing memories
Age/Developmental Level: Children through adolescence (with adaptations) -
Play Therapy
COMING SOON
Focus: Emotional expression and processing through play
Best For: Emotional regulation, trauma, behavioral concerns in younger children
Age: Early childhood through early school age
Parent-Mediated & Caregiver-Focused Interventions
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Parent Coaching (Caregiver Coaching Model)
COMING SOON
Focus: Teaching caregivers strategies to support development in everyday routines
Best For: Generalizing skills across home environments, empowering parents
Age: All ages (especially early childhood)Note. Often integrated into ABA, NDBIs, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and other child-focused therapies
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Parent Management Training (PMT)
Coming Soon
Focus: Evidence-based behavior management strategies for caregivers
Best For: Challenging behaviors, consistency, reinforcement, structure
Age: Early childhood through adolescenceNote. Includes structured programs such as Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)
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Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)
Coming Soon
Focus: Live coaching to strengthen parent-child relationship and behavior management
Best For: Disruptive behaviors, emotional regulation, caregiver-child connection
Age: Young children (typically 2–7 years)Note. A structured, evidence-based form of PMT
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Family Systems Therapy
COMING SOON
Focus: Family relationships, communication, and overall functioning
Best For: Family stress, transitions, relationship dynamics
Age/Developmental Level: All ages
Learning & Executive Function Supports
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Executive Function Coaching
COMING SOON
Focus: Planning, organization, time management, and flexible thinking
Best For: ADHD, school challenges, independence skills
Age: School-age children through adolescence -
Academic & Learning Supports
Coming Soon
Focus: Learning strategies, study skills, and academic interventions
Best For: Learning differences, school performance, organization
Age/Developmental Level: School-age children through adolescence
Social & Communication Supports
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Social Skills Training / Social Communication Groups
COMING SOON
Focus: Peer interaction, conversation skills, and social understanding
Best For: Social confidence, friendships, pragmatic language
Age/Developmental Level: Preschool through adolescence (grouped by age and ability)
You Don’t Have to Figure This Out Alone
Building a therapy plan can feel overwhelming. It’s okay to take it one step at a time, ask questions, and adjust along the way.
The goal isn’t to do everything—it’s to do what works for your child and your family.
Printables
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How to Choose the Right Therapy for Young Children
A practical, parent-friendly guide designed for young children (birth through early elementary years) to help you choose therapies that align with your child’s developmental needs, learning style, and your family’s daily life—so you can make thoughtful, balanced decisions without feeling overwhelmed.
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How to Choose the Right Therapy for Tweens & Adolescents
DesA practical, parent- and teen-friendly guide designed for tweens and adolescents (ages ~9–18) to help you choose therapies that support emotional health, social relationships, independence, and real-life functioning—so you can make thoughtful, collaborative decisions that feel manageable and meaningful.cription goes here