Early childhood growth and development play a major role for children as they grow. It’s important for parents and caregivers to understand the required developments at each stage of life. These range from gross motor skills, fine motor, speech, social skills, cognition, behaviours and so on. Some children might achieve these goals with minimal to no support while some others may require a little assistance.
Early Intervention importance
In the event of a delay in any of these skills, EARLY INTERVENTION will assist children to achieve their goals faster and sooner. Early intervention can start from Day 1 of birth up to a few initial years, having its most importance up to 3 years. Babies’ system is still developing and therefore there are more chances of improvement. As they grow older this process slows down, so the earlier the better. This prevents further delays and avoids possible multiple interventions required later.
Physiotherapy helps infants and children to achieve their gross motor milestones and their age-appropriate goals through the concept of neuroplasticity and learning behaviours.
Some of these achievable milestones are:
- Neck holding
- Rolling
- Sitting
- Crawling
- Standing
- Walking
- Jumping
- Throwing/catching a ball
- Clapping
- Bimanual tasks
Physiotherapist also works on:
- Strength
- Balance
- Co-ordination
- Postural control
- Rehabilitation post injury
It’s not only important to achieve these milestones, but also to learn them in an appropriate manner. For example, a child may be able to walk independently but has significant in or out toeing; A child can crawl but prefers using one side more than other; A child can throw a ball but just underarm and not overhead. These are each examples of delays that can be addressed by physiotherapy.
Supporting Families:
Any challenges can impact not just an individual but families as well. Treatment involves a team effort including parents, therapists, caregivers as well as possible changes to the surrounding environment, with appropriate professional guidance and strategies. With intervention, the expected outcomes not only encourage the child to progress, but also supports families emotionally.
The Science Supporting Early Intervention:
Early intervention is based on the brain’s function of neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to adapt, flex and function according to the stimulus provided and the experiences faced. There are several neurons growing and developing from birth onwards, and targeting these neurons with appropriate movements repeatedly will form new neuronal pathways. As these pathways form and grow, these will develop into your child’s developmental milestones.
Help your child and yourself today by calling and booking an appointment with Vishruti Mehta, our paediatric physiotherapist. Vishruti completed her Masters of Physiotherapy degree in 2018, specializing in Paediatrics. She has extensive training in Paediatric Rehabilitation and has worked in various settings such as private clinics, hospitals, PICU, NICU, and community care.
If you have any questions or concerns related to your child, or to book an appointment with Vishruti, please contact us at 905-240-9355 or email [email protected].
