Early intervention refers to a range of services and supports designed to help children who experience or are at the risk of experiencing developmental delays. Early intervention can compass children from birth to up to age of five depending on the program and support needs. These services can include but not limited to communication, motor skills, cognition, social-emotional skills, and adaptive behaviour. The purpose of early intervention services is to identify areas of developmental concerns and address these concerns to eliminate potential long-term impacts while increasing the quality of life for children and their families.
Benefits of early intervention can vary depending on the intensity of the child’s needs, quality of the of the interventions and the frequency of the engagement with the professionals. However, early intervention has demonstrated its value in promoting skill acquisition and increasing independence. Some of its benefits are:
- Early detection and intervention: There is growing evidence on the importance of first few years of a child as early childhood years are when foundations of cognitive, behavioural and self-regulatory skills are laid. Therefore, detecting concerns on skill development in these areas, allows families and professionals to implement appropriate interventions early on. This is important for increasing the positive outcomes while reducing the negative impacts on children’s and their families’ lives.
- Increasing independence: Early intervention services promote independence by providing children support in communication, social interactions and self-care skills. By addressing any concerns in these areas early on, children are able to acquire necessary skills that will have a direct impact on their academic achievement, inclusion in the community, mental wellbeing and more importantly overall quality of their life.
- Individualised intervention: Early intervention services recognise the unique needs of each children and aim to take a holistic approach to maximise positive outcomes. This also assist professionals and the families in recognising unique strengths and the developmental trajectory of each child to build on children’s existing abilities and interests.
An important factor that determines success of the early intervention services is the collaboration with the family. Identifying developmental concerns in children can be stressful and scary for parents when support is not provided. This could have long term mental health impacts on children and their families. Therefore, early intervention services include a large component of family training. Family training can be beneficial for:
- Improving family relationships: Increased support needs of a child can cause difficulties in the parent-child relationship when paired with ongoing day-to-day stressors such as work responsibilities, finances and health issues. Therefore, empowering parents through ongoing training and collaborative development of strategies in addressing their child’s support needs is beneficial for alleviating stress and improving family relationships. Increasing knowledge of parents and providing tools for management of any behavioural, emotional and cognitive concerns, allows parents to feel more confident leading them to have a more active role in the intervention process with less negative impact on their day to day lives.
- Natural setting skill development: Parents play a significant role in their children’s learning experience as they are often the ones who spend the most time with them and know their children the best. Providing parents training on the strategies and interventions used during therapy sessions is beneficial for consistent implementation of these strategies and also for increasing opportunities for natural learning, practice and generalisation of skills for children.
- Family support: Early intervention is a collaboration between families and professionals and this allows opportunities for addressing the emotional needs of parents and families by providing a platform for sharing concerns, asking/ receiving guidance and also networking with other families who have similar experiences. Early intervention services recognise (and emphasise) the importance of family support as this support is beneficial for equipping parents with coping strategies that will alleviate stress, increase resilience and overall quality of life for all members of the family.
Early intervention is important for the bringing out children’s potential and also preparing them for the future. Through recognising any developmental concerns in the early years, children’s life can be transformed for the better by maximising their potential and minimising potential challenges in the areas of communication, motor skills, cognition, social-emotional skills, and adaptive behaviour.
It is important to recognise that the impact of any developmental concerns can be life long and therefore, recognition of these concerns and development of an individualised intervention is crucial for shaping individuals’ abilities, opportunities, and overall quality of life. This is also important for the empowerment of the families by providing them with the knowledge, support, and tools they need to actively engage in their child’s development.
Early intervention is a collaboration between professionals and the families and must adopt a holistic approach to foster well rounded growth and to maintain positive outcomes long term. Some services included in the early intervention are:
- Psychology: Psychology often include family support and counselling to assist parents and caregivers in understanding their child’s needs, learning strategies to support their development, and navigating the intervention process. It may involve guidance on parenting techniques, coping strategies, and accessing community resources.
- Speech Pathology: Speech Pathology addresses difficulties in communication, including speech production, language comprehension, expressive language skills, and social communication. Therapists work with children to improve their speech clarity, vocabulary, grammar, and overall communication abilities.
- Positive Behaviour Support: Positive Behaviour Support aim to address behaviours of concern and self-regulation difficulties by taking a strength based and client focused approach.
- Occupational Therapy: Occupational therapy focuses on enhancing a child’s fine motor skills, sensory processing, self-care skills, and overall functional independence. Occupational therapists help children develop skills needed for activities of daily living, such as feeding, dressing, writing and travelling.
- Physiotherapy: Physiotherapy focuses on improving a child’s gross motor skills, coordination, balance, and strength. Physical therapists may use exercises, activities, and interventions to help children achieve age-appropriate motor milestones and participate in physical activities.
References and helpful websites for more information
- Raising Children Network: Raising Children Network is an Australian website that provides evidence-based information and resources on parenting, child development, and early intervention. It offers articles, videos, and interactive tools for parents and caregivers. Website: https://raisingchildren.net.au/
- Early Childhood Intervention Australia (ECIA): ECIA is a peak body that promotes the interests of young children with disabilities and developmental delays and their families. Their website provides information, resources, and professional development opportunities for families and professionals in the early childhood intervention sector. Website: https://www.ecia.org.au/
- Autism Awareness Australia: Autism Awareness Australia is a national organization dedicated to raising awareness and providing support for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families. Their website offers information on early intervention approaches for children with ASD, along with resources for families and professionals. Website: https://www.autismawareness.com.au/
- Better Start for Children with Disability Initiative: The Better Start for Children with Disability Initiative is an Australian government initiative that provides funding for early intervention services for eligible children with disabilities. The website offers information on eligibility criteria, funding, and service providers. Website: https://www.dss.gov.au/our-responsibilities/disability-and-carers/program-services/for-people-with-disability/better-start-for-children-with-disability-initiative
- National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS): The NDIS is a national scheme in Australia that provides funding and support for individuals with disabilities. It includes funding for early intervention services for eligible children. The NDIS website provides information on accessing early intervention services through the scheme. Website: https://www.ndis.gov.au/
- NSW Education: NSW Department of Education provides information, advice and guidelines for schools on available resources for early intervention for children and their families.
https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/early-learning/early-intervention - Positive Partnership: Positive Partnership is a non-profit initiative that work with parents, cares and educators to provide current, relevant and evidence informed information through workshops and online resources on autism spectrum. https://www.positivepartnerships.com.au
