The early years of a child’s life are packed with new stimuli and novel experiences that propel his or her cognitive, social, and physical development. The first three years of life are crucial for brain development, especially if a child’s development is delayed or restricted. Occupational therapy can help a child develop properly if he or she requires assistance.
There are programs known as early intervention. Children with disabilities or at risk of developing them can receive medical treatment and support services from birth through three years of age to enable them to achieve success later in life. Early intervention may include occupational therapy. In addition to improving children with a variety of specific illnesses (e.g., Down syndrome, autism), it also has benefits for children who don’t appear to have a specific diagnosis.
Early Intervention…
- The term refers to the services and supports available to babies and young children with developmental delays and disabilities, as well as their families
- Various types of services can be provided to a child depending on the child’s individual needs and the family’s resources
- This can greatly enhance a child’s ability to learn new skills and to succeed in school and life
Children with developmental delays or known health conditions that can increase their chances of experiencing delays can benefit from occupational therapy in improving their motor, cognitive, sensory, and communication skills. A major goal is to help parents meet the special needs of their infants and toddlers, as well as facilitate development.
What are the Eligibility Requirements for My Child?
An evaluation of your child’s skills and abilities determines whether your child is eligible for early intervention.
You or your child’s doctor can ask to be connected with an early intervention program facility if you have concerns about your child’s development. You can reach out to an early intervention therapy specialist yourself if a doctor is not able to help. In Dubai, Hope AMC Medical Center has a world-class pediatric therapy and rehabilitation facility.
Early intervention services are available to eligible children from birth to their third birthday (and sometimes beyond).
Depending on the circumstances, early intervention services may be essential to the growth and development of some children from birth. This is very common for infants who are born premature, have low birth weight or illness immediately after birth, or who underwent surgery very soon after birth. An early intervention therapy referral may even be given to the parents of this child before they leave the hospital.
Others, as a result of developmental delays. Some children enter the world routinely, but they may develop more slowly than others, suffer setbacks, or develop in ways that are vastly different from those of their peers. A developmental pediatrician can recommend early intervention presentation therapy after evaluating these children thoroughly.
Whatever the case, early intervention services promote the flourishing and growth of children with developmental needs.
Early intervention therapy for your child is beneficial if your child has any of the following issues:
- If he/she has sensory challenges like unresponsive or oversensitive input.
- In case of poor hand-eye coordination
- If he/she has problems with attention and concentration, such as difficulty focusing or listening attentively
- Having limited peer interaction, decreased play skills, etc., may indicate that the child lacks social abilities
- When he/she is not able to perform the daily self-care tasks independently.
- If he/she has trouble sleeping
- Any time they exhibit any abnormal emotional behavior, like getting agitated or unable to calm themselves
- Especially if each day is difficult and the environment or routine changes frequently
What’s a Developmental Delay?
Taking into account developmental delay is an important component of early intervention. Generally speaking, this means that a child has developed late in some areas. Affected areas include the following:
- Development of cognitive abilities
- Development of the eyes, ears, and body
- Development of communication
- Development of social or emotional skills
- Adaptive development
Developmental Milestones
Those developmental areas encompass all the skills a baby learns during the course of his or her development! It is always concerning when a child’s development is slower or more challenging than normal when he or she is a baby or toddler.
Book a consultation with one of our pediatric therapists if you’re concerned that your child may have a developmental delay.
Why Hope AMC for Early Intervention Therapy?
Hope AMC provides occupational therapy for special needs children, making it one of the rare early intervention therapy clinics in Dubai. We provide the best pediatric occupational therapy services at Hope AMC, whose occupational therapists conduct comprehensive pediatric occupational therapy assessments to determine an individual child’s needs before designing the specific occupational therapy plan.
In order to ensure that the children can achieve their goals and gain maximum independence in their OT activities, therapists use advanced therapeutic techniques and tools. Hence, we encourage parents to attend the therapy sessions since they are the best teachers and must be an integral part of their child’s treatment.
