For many families the first time they hear the words "Early Intervention" are in connection with their own child. A professional such as a Paediatrician may advise them: "Your child would benefit from early intervention". What does this mean?

The words "Early Intervention" are used to refer to a wide range of services for young children who have Additional or Special Needs. It also means starting as early as possible in order to help them reach their full potential.

What are these "Special Needs" or "Additional Needs" that a young child might have which suggest the need for Early Intervention? After all, every child has special needs of his or her own. These terms are used to describe a number of different situations. Some examples might be:

• a two year old who is not yet starting to talk and whose family are concerned about her language development
• a baby who is born with a diagnosed condition such as Down syndrome
• a ten month old baby who seems 'floppy' and is not yet showing signs of rolling over or sitting up
• a toddler who has been diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and who needs a wheelchair to become mobile

As you can see, "Early Intervention" may be described as specialised services provided to young children whose normal development is 'at risk' for some reason. These can be physical or intellectual reasons or emotional.They may be diagnosed conditions or developmental delays. Some children have only one special need; others may have more than one.

The types of specialised services that children receive may include Educational programs, Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy or a combination of these.

Yarran is just one of a number of different Early Intervention Services on the Central Coast.

Early Intervention services aim to help children with additional needs to live happy and productive lives while being fully included in their local communities.

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