Interventions

DEVELOPMENT DELAY

If you suspect your child's abilities are behind other children their age then intervention can help. Our clinic will first assess the child's delay and interview parents regarding what milestones have been met and what area(s) need improvement. An assessment of cognition may be recommended in such cases, although our clinicians will first rely on informant reports to better understand the client. This means that your clinician may require your consent to share information with other professionals, such as with their teacher or with other therapists. The clinician will recommend a formal assessment if developmental delay appears to be related to the child's cognition or other underlying factors. Sometimes, a child may not have a intellectual developmental disorder (used to be known as an intellectual disability) but may have some relative and normative weaknesses in a particular area of their intelligence that may need educational supports. In such cases, a cognitive report will ensure that recommendations are concise, easy to apply, and can be used in the child's individualised learning plan or transition to school plan. The Early Start Denver Model is a useful and evidence-based early intervention program that can be used for very young toddlers to help them build crucial skills to support their social and emotional development. Our psychologist, Sarah Rooke, is trained in the Early Start Denver Model program and can tailor intervention to suit your child's needs.