The Triangle of Support - 3 Wheels in a Child’s Road to Progress

Written by: Maryam Adhyan Shafeeq, Associate Psychologist

We often hear the saying ‘it takes a village to raise a child’. While to us, a child’s entire world may seem tiny, to them, it is indeed their entire world, and it is a large and scary place. They look to their parents for safety, the centre of their universe. Oftentimes, this also means that along with their best behaviours, these parents are the ones witnessing and guiding them through their most difficult moments as well. The second place a child would express themselves the most would usually be their school, where their teachers get to witness how they challenge themselves every day, both academically and socially. Some children have a third major person in their lives. Some children require a bit more guidance from, perhaps, a school counsellor or a therapist. Combining all three, a child could have 3 major wheels supporting them in their growth and progress. 

To start with those closest to the child, what can parents do more than all that they already do for their children? When it comes to parents taking a step further to encourage their child in certain behaviours and skills, the patterns learned and recognised in therapy are more effective in their daily life once applied at home as well (Nilangsari, 2025). Multiple studies highlight similar findings that the results from therapy are significantly notable when parents are involved in the intervention plans conducted by therapists, which can show progress in various aspects, such as improving a child’s social behaviour and language skills (Ferretti et al., 2025). For some parents, it could be challenging to alter their daily schedules accordingly as required, but there are many things parents can incorporate in flexible ways to fit into their regular lifestyle to attend to the needs of their child. Sometimes, they simply need to be present with their little ones to help them regulate themselves. 

In comparison, it could be slightly more challenging for a teacher to attend to one specific child’s needs in a classroom full of many children, all with their separate needs. However, a child might require extra help and direction from their teachers, which could happen due to various reasons, including an inability to pay attention for longer periods of time, or a difficulty in understanding the lessons, or being restless when required to sit in their seats for the entire duration of the class, to name a few. In such cases, parents must ensure these needs of the child are clearly communicated and, if applicable, keep the class teacher in the loop with the child’s therapist if they have one. Therapists can guide the teachers by suggesting small changes that can be done within a class without disrupting the rest of the class such as providing visual cues, pointing to where the child should be reading because some might forget easily, or keeping the child’s distractibility in mind when making the seating arrangement of the class, or enabling instances that allow a child to move around during the less such as by giving them a task to do (McDougal et al., 2023). It can be difficult to identify which child needs something the most at that specific moment from a teacher in a classroom full of many children, but there can be a few changes that can be brought so that each child feels less overwhelmed, less self-conscious, and less distracted in a room full of many distractions.  

Finally, to bring both of these aspects of a child’s life together, a therapist would work closely with everyone in this child’s life, including both their family and their teachers. This would enable combining multiple perspectives of the child’s life, which gives the therapist a bigger picture. A therapist would work on specific therapeutic goals, which for each child would be different; whether it's asking for help with a difficult task, sharing a bad moment in school with their parents, or even something as small as speaking one word. Although therapy can enhance a child’s life by supporting them emotionally, socially, and help make remarkable progress in their behavioural and academic achievements, a therapist requires both the child’s parents and their teachers to step in just as equally to help the child do their best. 

The parent, the teacher, and the therapist are three very important pillars in the child’s world. When a child has parents who can recognise that this child might need a bit more help and take the steps required, ensure clear communication with their teachers, and have the guidance from a therapist, it can work wonders for the child’s achievements. These three corners make up a child’s triangle of support. Three wheels that can help keep the fourth, themselves, from toppling their car over as they experience all the bumps in each child’s long road to progressing through their life. 

References

Ferretti, L. A., Uhl, A., Zawacki, J., & McCallion, P. (2025). Understanding barriers and facilitators of parent/caregiver involvement in home-based applied behavioral analysis programming for their autistic child. Children, 12(7), 850. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12070850 

McDougal, E., Tai, C., Stewart, T. M., Booth, J. N., & Rhodes, S. M. (2023). Understanding and supporting attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the primary school classroom: Perspectives of children with ADHD and their teachers. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 53(9), 3406-3421. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05639-3

Nilangsari, A. (2025). Parental Roles and Barriers: Lovaas Method (ABA) Therapy Support for Students with Autistic Disabilities. GRAB KIDS: Journal of Special Education Need, 5(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.26740/grabkids.v5i1.38404