Parent guides
Well prepared: from the first appointment to an intensive
A rested child, the right shoes and a favourite toy can change how a whole session goes. Here's how to prepare for your first visit — and how preparation differs between weekly sessions and intensive weeks.
Good preparation can do a lot — for your child's energy, for your own calm, and for how much a session achieves. Whether you're coming for a single appointment or a full intensive week, the essentials below will help you both arrive ready.
Before you arrive
Rested and fed. A child who has slept well and eaten something beforehand can concentrate and join in far better. Keep the journey calm. Long drives or a stressful rush right before a session are tiring; plan generous time and keep the trip as relaxed as you can. And please arrive 20 minutes early for the first appointment — enough time to arrive, change, fill in any forms, and above all let your child settle in at their own pace.
What to bring
The first-visit checklist
- Medical prescription and your child's insurance card, if available.
- All orthoses and aids your child currently uses — insoles, splints, orthoses, corsets. They help us judge movement patterns and needs precisely.
- Comfortable clothing with full freedom of movement; long trousers protect the legs during floor work.
- Closed, supportive shoes with a firm shaft — no sandals or slippers.
- A favourite toy, book, or tablet with music or videos. Familiar things comfort and motivate.
We keep a full, always-current packing list on our what to bring page — worth a look the evening before your first visit.
Preparing for weekly sessions
If your child comes for regular sessions — typically one per day — keep the rest of the day low-key. A small snack before the session keeps energy stable, and even short sessions demand real concentration, so allow quiet time afterwards. Watch how your child responds to therapy: every child is different, and rest matters as much as effort.
Preparing for an intensive
An intensive block — two to six sessions a day over several days or weeks, delivered within ORCA — Objective Reasoning & Clinical Architecture, our clinical framework — asks more of your child, so the day around it needs more structure:
- Plan the day well. Build in real rest breaks between sessions — even ten minutes helps.
- Snacks and water. Pack enough food and drink for the whole day. There's a fridge with snacks at the centre — and if you tell us what your child likes, we'll happily do the shopping for you.
- A change of clothes. Useful with all that movement, especially for younger children.
- Favourite things for the breaks. A toy, blanket, headphones or another familiar object helps a child wind down between sessions.
- Quiet evenings. After an intensive day, skip further activities — recovery is part of the program.
- Protect sleep. A full night's sleep, plus naps where needed, is when the day's learning settles in.
Intensive therapy is highly effective, but it is also demanding. The better rested and prepared your child is, the more they will get out of it.
Your part in the work
Therapy is work — even when it looks like play. Your child is learning new movements and building new skills, and that takes strength, focus and motivation.
"Children read your energy. When you're calm and positive, your child feels safe — and a safe child works wonders."
— The Apexa teamAnd celebrate every small step. Progress that looks tiny on paper can be huge for your child — your praise is part of the therapy. If you have questions or want help preparing, get in touch any time. We look forward to meeting you both.
