School Focus:

Introducing support at a younger age can help significantly improve your child’s prognosis.

Helping parents understand early intervention

Does your toddler seem persistently slower in acquiring certain skills compared to their peers? If you’re aware of these red flags, professionals can effectively help your child catch up on the delays and, in some cases, remediate any underlying issues.

“The first six years of a child’s life is the period where they meet the most significant developmental milestones that set the foundation for their future progression,” explains DR VANESSA VON AUER, Clinical Psychologist and Founding Principal of Integrated International School (IIS). Early intervention, she explains, provides a chance of closing any developmental gaps in those milestones.

What is early intervention and when is it necessary?

Early intervention refers to a wide range of support services for infants, toddlers and preschool children who may be experiencing pervasive developmental delays. Children with noticeable or persistent delays can be considered to be “developmentally delayed”. Support at this stage is under the optimal period in which professionals can effectively help children.

What are some signs that my child might require early intervention?

Children develop at their own pace – some differentiation in reaching developmental milestones is completely normal. You generally don’t need to worry if your child is a few weeks behind others. However, noticeable delays (six months, for example), plateaus or even regressions would benefit from being examined by a professional.

As a parent, you’re in the best position to observe your child. Attend parent-accompanied playgroups or playdates with peers, and meet with teachers to get a better idea of how other children the same age are interacting and behaving.

How will I know that early intervention has helped?

Reputable professionals and centres will conduct a personalised assessment and develop an intervention plan. You should notice some improvement within the first three to six months of joining an intervention programme.

However, depending on what your child needs help with, age-appropriate support may be a long-term requirement as varying developmental milestones will result in your child needing to learn these skills to adapt.

As parents, it’s important that you stay in close communication with your child’s support team and, if possible, learn techniques to consistently implement them at home as well.

How can I encourage my child to go through this process?

This depends on their age as well as their awareness about the daily challenges they experience.

If your child is communicative, acknowledge that some areas of their daily lives are tricky and “sell” intervention services as a way to make their lives “easier” or to help them become more confident in making friends. Be honest; use ageappropriate language by informing your child that they’re going to hang out with someone who specialises in helping kiddos and this person is going to be a source of help and support.

With a younger child or one who has language or processing impairments, look for centres or professionals who can adapt their sessions based on your child’s comfort.

There are many ways you can help settle your child into the process: accompanying them in the session for a short while, waiting in an area where they can still see you without your presence being a disruption, or identifying a safe person at the centre with whom your child can directly seek comfort from.

What if my child requires more help after this age?

Although early intervention is important, there are always effective options for children later in childhood. The first step is always reaching out to a professional. If you think your child needs help in closing developmental gaps, visit your paediatrician for an assessment. For further information, visit iis.edu.sg.