All children deserve the best start in life

You, as parents, are usually the first to notice when your child may be struggling in an area of their development. You may suspect that something is not quite right, or ‘have a feeling’ that all is not well, but you can’t put your finger on it. This will happen as you see your child talking, running or playing with other children in the same age bracket. I can remember being concerned about my 17-month son who was still not walking. I was told repeatedly that all children develop at their own rate and not to worry. It didn’t stop me worrying!

‍

My son not yet walking indicated the need for some specific short-term adjustments rather than him having any long-term needs. (As it happened, one day when he was nearly 18 months old, he got up and walked 14 steps across the room!)

‍

Early intervention is about providing these small adjustments that will make a big difference. Because when a situation goes unaddressed, the small adjustments needed at the beginning of the journey can grow into mountains. It may even result in a child not achieving the level of their potential or cause them to under-perform at school. This can damage self-esteem and confidence and even result in responses such as withdrawing altogether and disengaging from learning.

‍

Your home can become the best environment for these adjustments. Yes, a parent’s responsibilities are numerous and multi-layered, and the identification of our child needing extra support may feel like someone else’s job, someone who knows better than you, namely, an expert. But no one is a better expert of their child than you are! When you notice the small gaps in your child’s development (and every child has them!) you can create those ‘adjustments’ that we mentioned above. The potential for that gap to widen and widen can be removed. For example, one of the reasons that my son didn’t walk was because he slept so many hours of the day and was only active for about 6 hours. By waking him up a little earlier and reducing the nap times, he was able to be more active. That was the ‘small adjustment’. Another child may not be able to walk up and down stairs simply because he lives in an apartment or one-story house. A small adjustment here would be to create ‘steps’ around the house and then regularly visit friends who have houses with stairs.

‍

What about where there are more serious concerns? Parents must always feel they can raise any worries they might have, rather than waiting things out. The earlier parents are able to recognise that a child may be struggling with some developmental milestones, the better. Of course, children develop in their own unique way and at different rates. However, it is crucial to identify those children who are facing challenges in their development at an early stage.

‍

High quality early intervention can change a child's developmental trajectory and improve their outcomes in school and in their friendships. The reason for this is because the brain is designed to change according to experience and learning. Research shows clearly that the best age for this is around the age of two. (This is why young children find it easy to learn several languages!)

‍

The truth is, the later we intervene, the harder it becomes to reverse any challenges that a child may be experiencing. The sooner we intervene, the easier. It is that simple.