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Why Is Early Intervention So Important For My Child?
Every child deserves the opportunity to develop to their full potential. If you suspect your infant or toddler may have a developmental delay or disability, it can be a lot to take on by yourself. That’s where early intervention comes in.
Early intervention is a professional service that is proven to help your child overcome challenges, learn, and grow. Here are some of the main reasons why it’s important to seek out early intervention support, and why to do it in the early stages of your child’s life.
Why Is Early Intervention Important For My Child?
Early intervention is important because it minimizes (and sometimes prevents!) the effects of developmental delays and disabilities in infants and toddlers. When a trained early intervention specialist works with your child, they’ll provide specialized one-on-one care to work on unique challenges. This learning and development creates positive early experiences that are essential for your child’s later success in school, the workplace, and the world.
Early intervention is proven to positively impact your child across each of the five developmental domains:
- Cognitive – how your child learns and solve problems
- Physical – how your child crawls, walks, hears, and sees
- Communication – how your child speaks, listens, and understands
- Social/Emotional – how your child plays with others and feels secure
- Adaptive/Self-help – how your child eats, dresses, and goes to the bathroom
Early intervention is important for your child, but it’s also important for you and your family. One of the most important aspects of early interventions specialists’ jobs is to be a support resource for families. They’ll provide you with strategies, tools, community resources, and an empathetic ear in order to help you be the best parent possible.
Why Is Play Important For My Child?
A key component of early intervention services is play. Almost all the learning activities an early intervention specialist will do with your child is through fun activities or games incorporated into your family’s daily routines and activities. Children learn the most about themselves and the world around them through play because they are entertained, engaged, and comfortable doing activities with people they love and trust.
Here are some of the main reasons play is an important developmental tool for your child:
- Helps your child process emotions
- Promotes your child’s problem-solving skills
- Promotes your child’s social skills
- Promotes your child’s creativity and imagination
- Helps your child build confidence
- Allows your child to fully engage with people close to and important to them
When Should I Seek Out Early Intervention For My Child?
As soon as you suspect your child may have a developmental delay or disability, you should refer them for a professional evaluation.
The first three years of your child’s life are critical in terms of development. This is because your child’s neural circuits — the parts of their brain that are responsible for creating foundations for learning, behavior, and health — are the most flexible during that time. That being said, early intervention is much more effective and can improve your child’s developmental outcomes tremendously when provided earlier in life, rather than later.
Early intervention is important because the earlier your child can get the support they need, the more tools they’ll have to continue to learn, grow, and develop rapidly. If you think your child or a child you know might benefit from early intervention, get in touch with the About Play team. We can’t wait to meet you and your child!
If you live in South Carolina and think your infant or child is experiencing developmental delays, we can help.
where do we offer early intervention services?
