Starting at UP: What Does a Session Look Like?

May 14, 2025

In the first post of this series, we outlined what the UP intake process looks like and walked through what to expect during each step of the process. In this blog post, we will highlight what a typical session looks like for clients in our in-clinic ESDM program! Everyday, we look forward to welcoming clients into the clinic for their sessions to support their skill development. Here are the steps we follow to ensure sessions are meaningful and fun!

Session Logistics

At drop off, your child’s BI will greet them at the door and welcome them into the clinic. Parents can hang out in the building or take leave to do other errands as long as you are back in time for pick-up – we can always call if anything comes up during sessions.

Sometimes, young children have a hard time leaving their caregivers, and we can support this transition at a pace that you and your child are comfortable with. Building relationships, rapport, and trust is a key part of our process for children to stay regulated in the absence of a caregiver. As such, some children benefit from having a parent present for initial sessions while they build familiarity and experience fun with their BI. Over time, parents are able to step out of the therapy sessions with assurance that their child is well cared for.

We include a number of strategies to ensure parents are involved in programming. You are always welcome to book a session observation, or send a secure device (e.g., USB) to share video clips from sessions. We also send monthly progress reports, meet with families every few months for our quarterly review meetings, and will reach out to connect whenever necessary. You are welcome to reach out to your clinical team at any time with questions or updates. We also offer additional services to support your family, including parent coaching, parent workshops, and our parent-toddler play group!

ESDM Session Activities

Our sessions consist of all of the activities that a typical young child would do in a daycare or preschool. These include gross motor movement games, books, crafts, snack, circle time, outdoor play, object play, pretend play, and social games, but adapted to your child’s level and learning needs. Our creative team of BIs (Behaviour Interventionists) carefully craft engaging session plans to individualize activities that are based on your child’s interest as well as the specific teaching objectives that were identified for their behavioural programming in the intake process.

As we are an Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) clinic, our approach is play-based and our BIs are trained to use natural environment teaching strategies to support children to learn meaningful skills. This means that teaching occurs within fun, motivating activities (called Joint Activity Routines). Teaching also occurs through natural opportunities such as during transitions and skills related to personal independence. 

ESDM therapy places a strong emphasis on early communication and social skills. Our staff are trained in these strategies to support your child’s development. This means that from day one, your child will have frequent models and practice with these skills; a hallmark of intensive and effective therapy. Because of this, families have reported increased social awareness, attention span, flexibility and progress in communication within the first few weeks of starting sessions.

Peer Engagement & Social Opportunities

A unique factor in our clinic is that we promote group and peer engagement for all clients, regardless of whether they are staffed 1:1 or in a small group ratio. Following our “shape of the day” model, we always come together for circle, snack, and outdoor play across all sessions where clients engage in pre-planned group activities. Our BIs are trained to support all children (regardless of level of need) in meaningful social interactions with ongoing support from our Clinic Supervisor & clinical team. 

Depending on your child’s skills, they may be a good fit to join our small group ESDM program. This program involves children moving through all session activities together and emphasizes social development and classroom readiness. Children in this group model continue to have individualized goals while building skills necessary for success in a group environment, serving as a nice bridge to preschool or kindergarten. 

Supports for High Quality Programming

Given that the provincial autism funding budget has not been increased since 2008, it is not always possible to get the high intensity early intervention hours that research recommends. However, we can ensure that we make the most of every minute your child is at UP Early Intervention by focusing on a high quality program. Our in-clinic early intervention program ensures optimal support for your child from the very first day with our on-going supports provided to our BI’s:  

  • Initial and ongoing training in session planning conducted by Case Managers, to ensure your child learns a lot and has fun at the clinic
  • Weekly in session support from clinical team members, including Senior Behavior Analysts
  • Weekly and Monthly themes, including craft of the week, prepared by our clinic supervisor so that our BI’s can focus on your child
  • Resources for staff to learn creative, fun, and engaging teaching activities to share with your child
  • Regular intervention fidelity checks, to ensure your child’s team is implementing strategies appropriately
  • Regular professional development opportunities for all employees 

In summary, our in-clinic ESDM program is designed to provide an engaging and supportive environment for your child’s learning and development. Through individualized programming, play-based teaching strategies, and opportunities for social interaction, we ensure that each session is both meaningful and fun. Our dedicated team of Behaviour Interventionists and Clinicians work closely together to deliver high-quality programming and provide ongoing support for both clients and families. We are excited to be part of your child’s journey and look forward to seeing them thrive in our program!

If you are interested in learning more about our programming or would like to inquire about services, please reach out to us directly: