Early intervention
What is Early Intervention?
“Early childhood intervention services focus on supporting a child’s learning and development in the early years, including involving parents in gaining knowledge about development and learning ways in which to enhance a child’s development in daily life”. These include speech pathology, occupational therapy, psychology and physiotherapy.
Why is Early Intervention so important?
The First 2000 Days Framework explains why the first 2000 days of life from birth to 5 years, are crucial and salient in providing an optimal start to a child’s life. This framework was developed by NSW Health and evidence provided by The Australian Centre for Community Child Health and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.
What happens during this critical developmental period?
During the first 1000 days, a child’s developmental plasticity is at it’s greatest, meaning that a child’s brain is rapidly growing, changing and developing every day. The brain continues to grow and change, however the foundations are laid down in these early years and after this development continues at a slower rate. Therefore, during this time early interventions should and must take place to improve a child’s overall long-term health and wellbeing, increasing optimal outcomes for families.
What are the long-term effects?
Evidence shows that prioritising and undertaking early intervention therapy can make a significant impact on children’s emotional, social and overall development and a positive impact on social and school participation. Social and emotional skills are equally as important as cognition in establishing a child’s success in school and life.
Did you know that what happens during the Early Intervention period dictates and predicts a child’s educational outcomes?
- A child’s development before 2 years (ie. at 22 months) is a strong indicator of their educational outcomes at 26 years.
- According to the AEDC (2015), 1 in 5 children who begin formal schooling are developmentally vulnerable. Research reveals and establishes that children who are developmentally delayed at school age, seldom catch to their peers. Their development at the beginning of kindergarten (ie. at 5 years) is a powerful predictor of their educational achievement at the end of their formal schooling.
- What happens during this critical developmental period has been shown to have an impact throughout a child’s life and predict the following:
§ Ability to learn during school
§ School performance
§ Involvement with criminal justice during adolescence
§ Antisocial behaviour
