Our early intervention group is small. We like to keep the ratio 2;1 so that there is enough attention for all the kids.
The Early Intervention Program for Children with Special Needs in the Play Project Mahavidya runs every day from 9am till 1pm.
It is open to children from age 3 till 12 years old.
Before starting in the group you will have to bring your child in for an assessment to see whether the Early Intervention group setting will be suitable for your child.
Most children who come for an assessment will start with one-to-one sessions in the early intervention therapy programs first so that children can work on their personal goals before entering the group. This will make the transition to a group setting easier and more beneficial for the child.
The EIP syllabus is theme based. Depending on the child’s level and abilities a variety of activities will be offered to the children on a daily basis including:
1. Physical skills in -and outdoor physical activities, enhancing gross motor skills
2. Cognitive skills, (Pre)-academic support sessions
3. Communication skills (talking, listening, understanding others, AAC
4. Self-help or adaptive skills (eating, dressing, potty training, cleaning up)
5. Social or emotional skills (playing, interacting with others)
6. Sensory processing skills, sensory play (handling textures, tastes, sounds, smells)
Within the EIP group, children will have an aqua therapy session based on the Halliwick concept. Our trained staff will work with the children either in a group setting or one-to-one.
We aim to have all our students in the EIP group to be independent swimmers or at least be “water safe”.
Early intervention: what is it?
Early intervention is specialised support for children with disability, autism or other additional needs including developmental delay.
Early intervention should happen as soon as possible after a child’s needs are identified. It might include therapies, supports, education and so on.
You’ll also hear the terms early childhood intervention and early childhood early intervention. These refer to therapies and supports for children and their families in the early years from birth until children start school.
Early intervention is the best way to support the development and well-being of children with a disability, autism or other additional needs including developmental delay. It can help children develop the skills they need to take part in everyday activities. Sometimes children who get early intervention need less or no support as they get older.
How does early intervention work?
To start with, early intervention is usually universal. This means it’s therapies or supports that anyone can get – for example, support and advice from your GP or Peadiatrician.
Then as your child’s specific needs are identified or your child’s condition is diagnosed, early intervention can focus on your child’s and family’s specific needs.
Early intervention often focuses on 4 key areas of children’s development:
- physical development – that is, children’s bodies and brains
- cognitive development – that is, children’s thinking and learning
- behavioural development – that is, children’s behaviour and how it’s affected by physical and cognitive development
- social and emotional development – that is, children’s ability to form relationships and cope with emotions.
The therapies used as part of early intervention address these developmental areas in different ways. For example:
- Occupational therapy can help with fine motor skills, play and self-help skills like dressing and toileting.
- Physiotherapy can help with balance, coordination and gross motor skills like sitting, crawling and walking.
- Speech therapy can help with speech, language, eating and drinking skills like chewing, sucking and swallowing.
- Psychological therapy can help with forming relationships, coping with emotions, and developing behaviour, social and other skills.
Children often benefit from a combination of therapies – this is called a multidisciplinary approach. And children often need different therapies or therapy combinations at different stages of their development.
Some families look into complementary and alternative medicine like acupuncture or homoeopathy. If you’re interested in alternative therapies, some careful research can help you work out whether the therapy is backed by scientific evidence and worth your time and money.
Outdoor play
