Praising Effort over Accuracy: Why It Matters in Therapy

As a parent of a child with therapy needs, you want to do everything you can to support your child's growth and development. Whether your child is in speech-language, feeding, or occupational therapy, there are many things you can do at home to complement their clinic sessions. One of the most important things you can do is to praise your child's effort instead of emphasizing accuracy. In this blog post, we'll explore why praising effort is so important, and offer tips for how you can implement it in your daily life.

Children with therapy needs often face challenges that can be frustrating and discouraging. They may struggle to form words correctly, or have difficulty with fine motor tasks. At Better Learning Therapies, we believe that praising a child's effort can help them build their self-esteem and feel more confident in their abilities. When a child feels like their effort is recognized and valued, they are more likely to persevere through challenges and take risks.

Here are a few tips for how you can praise your child's effort:

Focus on improvement: Instead of telling your child that they did something "wrong," focus on what they can do to improve. For example, if your child stutters, you can affirm their effort to speak by saying, "I can tell you're working hard to say that word. Let's keep practicing together to make it easier."

Praise specific behaviors: Instead of using vague or general praise, focus on specific behaviors. For example, if your child is struggling with a pencil grip in occupational therapy, you can say, "I love how you're holding the pencil with your fingers close together. That's a great effort!"

Encourage persistence: When your child is facing a challenge, encourage them to persist through it. You can say things like, "I know it's tough, but you're doing a great job. Keep trying, and we'll get there together."

Celebrate small victories: When your child makes progress, celebrate it! Even small successes can be a big source of encouragement for your child. You can say things like, "I'm so proud of you for trying so hard on that task. Let's celebrate your effort!"

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Model positive self-talk: Finally, it's important to model positive self-talk for your child. When you face a challenge, talk about your own effort and your willingness to keep trying. This can help your child see that effort is valuable and important no matter what.

Praising effort over accuracy is a powerful way to support your child's growth and development in therapy. By focusing on improvement, praising specific behaviors, encouraging persistence, celebrating small victories, and modeling positive self-talk, you can help your child build their self-esteem and confidence. At Better Learning Therapies, we believe in celebrating the unique strengths of every child, and we're here to support you on your journey. If you have any questions or concerns about your child's therapy progress, don't hesitate to reach out to your therapist or speech-language pathologist for guidance. Together, we can help your child thrive.