What is Early Intervention Physio
Early intervention simply means, starting therapy as early as possible in order to achieve the best results and minimise longer term problems.
Every baby is supported by their family in order to thrive, learn and develop. Children with developmental delay and/ or disabilities often need more guidance in order to participate and be able to live a full and happy life.
Early intervention treatment for infants and children with disabilities and/or delays means supporting the family and setting up the surroundings to challenge and support the child’s development and ensuring they can participate in their home and with their peers.
Early intervention is best targeted at children aged 0-6 and is aiming to reduce the gap between the child and their peers. When the child is older than 7 a diagnosis is necessary to receive NDIS support.
The sooner a child with disabilities and/or developmental delay has access to early intervention that is targeted to their specific needs, the more success is possible.
Intervention focuses on 4 main areas of development:
- Physical development
- Cognitive development
- Behavior
- Social interaction and relationships
Therapies over time can change depending on a childs development. There may be combinations of therapy or the use of a key worker who pulls together principles of all the therapists to provide care in a wholistic way.
- Occupational therapy: fine motor skills, self-help skills, cognitive skills
- Physiotherapy: mobility, gross motor skills
- Speech therapy: eating, communication, language
- Psychological therapy: coping strategies, behavior development, relationship forming
Role of early intervention physio at Klint Kids:
- Providing education to parents and caregivers, guiding them through treatment and ideas to support play and movement
- Supporting gross motor skills: sitting, crawling, walking, running, balance, strength, coordination
- Providing a key worker model to support other team members implement therapy through play and movement within the early intervention physio sessions
Early intervention has 7 key principles:
- Children learn best through everyday experiences and interactions with familiar people and context
- Everybody with the right support can promote their child’s development
- The primary role of therapy is to support and work with the family and direct caregivers
- The intervention must be adaptive and individualized throughout the whole process
- Service plans must be functional and based on the child’s and family’s need
- The family priorities, needs and interests are addressed and cared for
- Interventions must be based on a best practice approach and show evidence in research and relevance.
Best practices in early intervention:
- Family centered and strength based: this practice builds on the family’s strengths and ensures the needs, wishes and goals are met.
- Inclusive and participatory: every child has the right to participate fully in their family and community.
- Engaging in the child’s natural environment: promotes the child’s inclusion through accessing settings at home or in the community
- Collaborative teamwork: different professionals and the family to work together and collaborate to ensure a holistic approach
Early intervention physio for kids can be a key player in the early concerns around developmental issues. They can support global development, learning, movement engagement and socializing while you begin to reach out to other specialist team members e.g. speech and language therapist or OT.
If you are concerned about your child’s development or their motor skills, or have a child you are working with who you think might benefit from physiotherapy intervention, please contact us at Klint Kids Paediatric Therapy.
