Early intervention involves evaluation by a team of professionals to identify a child’s needs. Evidence proves that early intervention services can significantly decrease the effects of developmental delays.
Early intervention services may include social work, counselling, therapies (physical, occupational, and speech), audiology, vision, and psychological services. From recommending hearing aids for a child with hearing loss to prescribing glasses for a child with vision issues, early childhood development (การพัฒนาเด็กปฐมวัย, which is the term in Thai) has proven to be the best way to answer a child’s development needs.
Professionals work together to improve coordination, balance, and answering a child’s development needs to help a child succeed at preschool, at mealtimes, and on the playground.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy helps improve stamina during sitting, crawling, standing, and walking. Physical therapy also helps answer children’s needs for any adaptive tools such as wheelchairs and walkers.
Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy helps improve the cognitive, sensory, visual, and motor skills to grip and handle objects. Occupational therapy can help the child differentiate between size and shape, hand-eye coordination to use objects like a spoon, and sensory skills to doddle on a tray coated with cream.
Speech and Language Therapy
Speech and language therapy is also known as speech-language pathology (SLP), and it helps improve sensitivity and good communication skills as well as oral motor skills to enhance speech and swallowing. Speech therapy may comprise the use of speech, gestures, pictures, and electronic gadgets.
Early Childhood Special Education
Early childhood educators help provide suitable learning environments and activities to improve a child’s development needs, such as cognitive and communicative skills, singing kids play songs, for instance, and popping bubbles.
Social Work Services
Social work services involve evaluating the social and emotional needs of children and families and providing help with counselling or training.