A Fair Question From Every Parent
"How will I know if this is actually working?" is one of the most natural questions a parent can ask when starting any new programme for their child. At GALS, progress is tracked in relation to each child's individualized learning goals -- not compared against a generic milestone chart shared across all children.
This individualized approach to tracking is one of the core differences between GALS and a standard classroom setting, where progress is usually measured against a shared grade-level benchmark.
Starting With a Clear Baseline
Progress tracking begins with the initial assessment, which establishes a clear starting point across the areas relevant to that child -- communication, sensory regulation, attention, social engagement, and pre-academic or school-readiness skills as applicable.
Ongoing Observation During Sessions
The team observes and notes a child's engagement, skill attempts and responses during regular sessions, building a picture of progress over time rather than relying on a single evaluation point.
This ongoing observation also helps the team notice patterns -- such as a skill a child uses at the centre but not yet at home -- that a single review point might miss.
Individualized Learning Plan Reviews
A child's individualized learning plan is reviewed periodically, with goals updated as skills develop -- meaning progress isn't just more of the same activity but a plan that evolves as your child grows.
How Parents Are Kept Informed
Parents are kept updated on what their child is working on, how they're engaging with activities, and what changes the team is noticing, so progress isn't a mystery that's only discussed occasionally.
What Progress Can Look Like
Progress isn't always a dramatic milestone -- it can be small, meaningful shifts like tolerating a new sensory experience, initiating an interaction for the first time, following a two-step instruction, or sitting engaged for a slightly longer activity. These smaller shifts often build toward larger ones.
Parents sometimes notice these shifts at home before the team mentions them in a session, which is exactly why open, two-way communication matters.
The Clinical Team's Role in Reviewing Progress
Progress reviews draw on the expertise of the clinical team behind GALS, including Dr. Murli Singh's perspective on communication development and Dr. Charu Arora's perspective on sensory and motor development, ensuring progress is understood across the full picture of your child's development, not just one narrow area.
Why Progress Isn't Always a Straight Line
Skills that seem established can temporarily dip during periods of illness, travel, a change in routine, or simply an off week -- this is normal and doesn't usually mean a skill has been lost. The team looks at trends over time rather than reacting to any single session.
Comparing Progress to Other Children Isn't Useful
Because every child's individualized learning plan is different, comparing your child's pace to another child in the programme rarely gives a meaningful picture. The most useful comparison is your own child's progress against their own starting point and their own current goals.
Documenting Progress You Notice at Home
Keeping a simple, ongoing note of new skills, words or behaviours you notice at home -- even a few lines a week -- gives you something concrete to share with the team and can reveal patterns that are easy to miss day to day.
How Goals Evolve as Skills Are Met
As a child masters a specific goal, the team introduces a new, appropriately challenging one rather than continuing the same activity indefinitely. This keeps the individualized learning plan responsive to your child's actual pace, rather than following a preset sequence.
Progress That Shows Up First at Home, Not at the Centre
It's common for a new skill to appear at home before it's consistently seen during sessions, or the reverse -- a skill practised at the centre that hasn't yet transferred to home. Sharing both directions of information helps the team understand how well a skill is generalizing, not just whether it exists.
How Progress Is Discussed With Your Child's Paediatrician
If your child also sees a paediatrician or other specialist, sharing progress notes or discussing goals between providers, with your involvement, helps build a more complete picture of your child's overall development across settings.
What a Progress Review Meeting Typically Covers
A review typically covers what's been achieved against previous goals, what new goals are being set, and any adjustments to session focus or frequency. It's also an opportunity for parents to raise their own observations and questions directly.
Understanding Progress in Context of Your Child's Starting Point
A child who started with very limited engagement and is now attempting simple interactions has made significant progress, even if that progress looks different from a child who started somewhere else. Progress is always measured relative to where your own child began, not against an external standard.
Setting Realistic Expectations From the Start
During the initial assessment, it helps to ask the team what realistic progress might look like over the first few months for your specific child, so you have a fair reference point rather than an assumption based on another child's experience.
Keeping a Simple Shared Record With the Team
Some families find it useful to keep a shared note -- physical or digital -- where both parents and the team can jot down small observations between formal reviews, creating a running record that's easy to refer back to over time.
Celebrating Progress Without Overstating It
It's natural to want to celebrate every gain, and that's encouraged -- while also keeping in mind that this is an educational learning programme, not a clinical cure, and progress is about steady, individualized growth rather than a fixed end point.
When to Raise Concerns About Progress
If you feel your child isn't progressing the way you expected, it's entirely reasonable to raise this directly with the team rather than waiting for a scheduled review -- the individualized learning plan can be discussed and adjusted based on your observations too.