Working with clients is only one part of what we do.  Another part is communicating with parents and making sure parents feel comfortable in communicating with us as well.

So how can we effectively communicate with parents?

• When you start, ask parents how they would like to see the communication – daily, weekly, etc.  Ask them what they would like to hear about. Individualize a communication sheet specifically for your client.  It could be in paragraph form, or a check-off sheet to make documentation simple.  
• We want to make sure that we are communicating with parents before and after every session.  It is important that they feel comfortable communicating with us as well in case something has changed recently with their child that might make a behavior worsen or make it difficult to make progress.
• Ask parents how the student’s day has been so far at start of session.  You can ask things like how did they sleep, are they eating ok, things that might indicate that the session might be more challenging.
• At the end of session, tell parents how the session went (being mostly positive).  Include some things that you’re working on  that the client may be struggling with and how you’re going to try to improve this.
• If you’re working with a student in a classroom, you can use a communication log to let the parents know how their child is doing.
• When writing session notes, be objective, write about any negative behaviors, a few successes, and a few things that the client is struggling with.
• Find the balance between positive feedback and honesty.  Sometimes parents are surprised to hear about a problem if notes have all been really positive.
• Keep it simple!  Don’t use behavioral jargon with parents.
• Make sure to let them know when there’s going to be any changes to the schedule or staff.

Other Tips: 

• HAVE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE and make sure to leave your baggage at the door!
• Acknowledge the client first upon entering.
• Stay off of your phone, make sure your focus is on the child.
• If you need a break, ask for it!
• Know when to ask a supervisor for help.  i.e., when client isn’t making progress, negative behaviors start getting more challenging or change, a new behavior comes into play, if anything seems odd or off to you.
• It never hurts to ask why something’s in the behavior plan.