6 Reasons You’re Delaying Your Visit with Doman International...and Why It’s Time to Take the Next Step
Having been a Staff Coach for 12 years, I have had the opportunity to coach hundreds of families with kids with special needs on the Doman Method™ program. Sometimes, parents will delay taking an appointment for a number of reasons, and will ask for my opinion on whether they should or shouldn’t delay their child’s evaluation. Below are the most common reasons that parents will give for delaying their child’s evaluation with Doman International, and why it’s usually best for them instead to just schedule their Doman International visit:
1. “I haven’t reached all my program goals yet and I want to wait until I’ve achieved them before coming to Doman International.”
This is perhaps the most common reason I am given from my Doman Parents, who are usually warriors and feel that coming for an appointment with Doman International without reaching all their goals is a failure. First of all, don’t think that the DI team expects perfection - we understand that you and your child are humans and that expecting perfection isn't realistic. The problem with having the mentality that all goals must be achieved before coming for a visit -- is that this mindset very often ends up hurting the program. Take this example: After 6 months of program, a family is reaching 70-80% of their program goals. Their child is doing well by and large, but the family is worried about coming to DI for a visit without meeting their goals. They decide to delay their visit with DI for 3 months to give themselves more time to reach goals. However, as the months go by, the child starts to become bored of the daily routine (the child is ready for a change and so are parents!). The child’s cooperation and enthusiasm drops and now parents find themselves having difficulty reaching even 70% of the program! It would have been much better for the family to return to DI, get a revised and new program which will be optimized for the family. Also, the entire family will be energized with a new program and routine. This will help improve program performance and get you closer to the goals you’re striving for.
2. “Our program hasn’t been as consistent as I would like and I want to be doing everything consistently before I come for an evaluation.”
In the world of kids with special needs, it is common that something happens which compromises the consistency of a program. For some children, it might be frequent illnesses. For some families, circumstances occur completely outside of their control (a family member gets ill, they need to move homes, it takes time to make program equipment, etc.) and this affects program consistency. Whatever the reason, coming for an appointment is better than continuously delaying it. The DI staff doesn’t only teach programs to families, we also coach and motivate them. If a child is frequently ill or is having seizures, the family needs to be coached by our respiration and nutrition teams to improve their health and physiology. If the child is not cooperative with the program, the family’s social program needs to be addressed. If a child isn’t reaching physical program goals, the mobility staff needs to relook at the program and find solutions. Whatever the reason, a lack of consistency is a great reason to seek help from Doman International rather than delaying getting the help you need!
The staff always works to uplift families and coach them to reach their goals
3. “My child isn’t cooperating with the entire program and I don’t want a visit until he/she is doing everything.”
There might be various reasons why a child is resisting parts of the program -- it could be the dynamics of the program itself, the lack of a reward system, the same program being done too long (so it gets tedious), the way parents are coaching the child, etcetera. If your child is not collaborating with you, this is a great reason to come to DI for an evaluation or to get a remote appointment. First of all, with Live and Remote Appointments, families can get access to our Social Development advanced courses! In our Advanced Courses about the Code of Conduct and Katie’s Program, we teach parents our programs for social development. Our team can also work to create a new, revised program that your child will hopefully enjoy, coach you on a rewards system so your child has incentives to achieve the program, and we will guide on being the best parent you can be -- remember, we have many years of experience working with families!
Our team understands kids with special needs and will adapt the program to achieve results
4. “My kid is doing amazing on the current program and I don’t see a reason to come for a visit yet.”
One of the tenets of the Doman Method™ cognitive program is “Always stop a teaching session BEFORE your child wants to stop.” The premise is if you end something that your child is enjoying, off a bit earlier rather than going too long and boring and frustrating your child, your child is more likely to be enthusiastic for the next teaching session. This principle can apply for your child’s entire program. If your kid is doing great on the current program and you’re achieving results, you want to get an updated, more advanced program as soon as possible rather than waiting until your child grows bored of doing the same thing for too long. If things are going great, that is a perfect reason to come back to Doman International, get your child evaluated and assessed, and get a brand new, more advanced program for your child. Also, taking our online Advanced Courses will help you develop a wonderful program to help your child advance to the next level in their nutrition, cognitive, mobility, and social development.
5. “I haven’t seen enough results from the current program I’m doing and I want to get some results before coming.”
If you have been going for 6 months on your current program, and you haven’t seen results from that program and work, it means something needs to change. Rather than delaying your appointment and trying more and more of the same, this is the ideal time to meet our staff and reset. You can explain to us what is working and what isn’t working. You can tell us about where things aren’t progressing. This will allow our team to meet, as our staff team meets to discuss and design a better program for every child coming for Live and Remote appointments. It also allows you to take our Advanced Courses online and learn about our more advanced programs. We can revise your child’s program to work toward your child’s needs and goals. Einstein said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” You will never hear a Doman International staff member tell you to just “keep doing what you’re doing” if your child isn’t improving. With every appointment your family has, it’s our responsibility to be creative and design a new program that will help your child progress.
Melissa Doman coaches parents, and the child, on their physical program
“Finances are tight right now and we want to wait until we’ve raised more funds.”
In our current economic climate, it is certainly understandable that some parents are concerned about finances and the associated costs of an appointment. For this reason, Doman International has tried to give flexible options for parents that need it, whether it’s coming for a Remote Appointment (to save costs on travel, airfare, and hotels) or doing single program consultations (where families can get guidance on certain programs). Whatever your current situation, we can help guide you on the best option for you. While an appointment with Doman International is not inexpensive, we address the myth of the Doman Method™ being expensive in this article. If you need financial assistance and help from others, fundraising is an excellent option -- giving friends and family the opportunity to get involved in helping your child is not something to be ashamed of. Remember that them helping a kid with special needs might be the MOST meaningful thing they get to do this year. By asking them to help your child, it gives their life meaning. So don’t be too proud to ask for help for your child. If you’d like ideas for how to fundraise online for parents of kids of special needs, read this article.
Whether you’re considering delaying your visit with DI one month, or one year, it’s best to consider scheduling your appointment as soon as possible. Even if you schedule an appointment for a month or two from now, you and your staff coach can still work together for that period to get your program more consistent, successful, and smooth until your evaluation. You can inquire about an appointment using the form below, or contact your Doman International staff coach, who is always available to help you!