Early Intervention
Early Intervention
What is Early Intervention?
Effective early intervention works to prevent problems occurring, or to tackle them head-on when they do occur before they get worse. It can target a wide range of areas such as feeding, sleep, social communication or challenging behaviours. We use typical age-appropriate developmental expectations as our guide, and behavioural principles as our toolbox.
Some of the children we work with have been identified as showing early signs for Social Communication Conditions, Autism Spectrum Conditions, ADD/ADHD or are showing general signs of delay across one or more areas of their development. A diagnosis is not required to access Early Intervention.
We draw from a wide range of evidence-based interventions to tailor a program that is right for your family dynamic. Our approach is parent/carer-led. We focus our time on helping you learn a wide range of tools to deploy in everyday situations, allowing the primary carers to be the lead in learning. If a more extensive type of intervention is required we will help guide you to the appropriately qualified supports needed.
So how does this actually look?
Case Study: Jenny, age 3 years 4 months at intake, age 4 years 8 months at discharge.
Jenny is 3 years and 4 months, she is talking, but her mum knows she has been behind on her language milestones, even though her friends and family are telling her not to worry and it will sort itself out. Jenny typically uses short sentences. She has at least one tantrum a day, her parents find it hard to prepare her to go on typical family outings and her short attention span is impacting her ability to focus at nursery and make friends.
Upon assessment with a Hatchlings London Consultant, it was found that Jenny is delayed in her expressive language, and more specifically, isn’t using her verbs as she should be. Her poor attention is also impacting her language skills.
Jenny and her family begin a twice-a-week intervention plan with Hatchlings London who teach her parents to decipher Jenny’s tantrums and how to model language that is meaningful to Jenny in order to help reduce her frustration. As her language improves the Consultant helps the family use Jenny's new interests to start helping her build up her attention span.
Just after Jenny turns 4 her Hatchlings London Consultant reassess her milestones. While still behind in her attention and social skills, Jenny has now caught up with her peers in her understanding and use of language! Jenny’s sessions are reduced down to once a week, where she continues to work on play, language and other parent concerns that pop up. Jenny is also now able to join one of our social groups to help with her social skills.
As Jenny heads off to Reception, we further reduce sessions to a once a month check in to support her emotional development as she starts school.