| Question area | What to write down |
|---|---|
| What did you observe? | Examples, activities, information considered and anything that may have affected the appointment. |
| What do the findings mean? | Plain-language explanation, limits of tests or scores and unanswered questions. |
| What is being recommended? | Purpose, provider, proposed frequency, alternatives and how usefulness will be reviewed. |
| What will we receive or share? | Report timing, author, correction route, secure delivery, consent and intended recipients. |
| What happens next? | Named contact, confirmed versus proposed steps, review date and questions to carry forward. |
Separate what was observed from what it may mean
Begin with the situations or activities the clinician saw and the information you shared. Ask which observations were typical for your child and which may have been affected by the setting, time of day, language, comfort or unfamiliar tasks. If a test or score was used, ask what it was designed to measure and what it cannot show. Write the clinician’s explanation in plain language rather than turning a score, behaviour or single appointment into your own diagnosis.
Ask how the findings connect to daily life
Choose two or three routines that matter to your family: getting dressed, joining a game, being understood, managing a transition or participating at school. Ask which findings may help explain those situations and which questions remain open. A useful discussion connects professional observations with the child’s strengths, preferences and real environments; it should not reduce the child to a list of difficulties.
Make every recommendation specific
For each suggested service, strategy or referral, ask what purpose it serves, who would provide it, how often it is proposed and how the team will know whether it is useful. Clarify whether the recommendation is optional, time-sensitive or dependent on another assessment. More appointments are not automatically better. Ask how the child’s comfort, communication and participation will shape the plan and what the family can do if a goal no longer feels appropriate.
Clarify the report and information-sharing plan
Ask whether a written report is included, when it will be available, who wrote it and how to request clarification or a correction. Confirm where the report will be stored and how it can be shared securely. If a school, physician or another therapist may receive it, ask what permission is needed and which parts are relevant. Keep reports and health history out of public website chat and ordinary marketing forms.
Leave with a named next step and review point
Write down the person responsible for the next contact, what will be sent, whether any appointment is confirmed and when questions will be revisited. If ongoing therapy is suggested, ask how goals will be chosen, how progress will be discussed and when the plan will be reviewed. You can also ask how to verify a regulated professional’s current licence. A website cannot confirm who will treat your child; clinician identity and availability must come directly from the clinic.
Helpful next steps
- Prepare for a first therapy appointment
- Review the therapy service guides
- Ask about the treating professional
About this guide
General parent information prepared by Clover Creek Therapy. It is not a clinical assessment or an individual treatment recommendation. No named clinical review is claimed.
Sources reviewed October 8, 2026: