Early intervention a must, to help children
View(s):It is important to ensure necessary early intervention for children with development delays even amidst a pandemic, said Nilu Perera, an expert in the field of child psychology.
“Early intervention is identifying and providing effective early support for children with developmental delay. Delay in beginning therapy is more likely to result in long term effect in your child’s development. Early intervention can avoid more significant problems and should happen as soon as possible after a child’s needs are identified.
This might include therapies, education and other support,” said Ms Perera, the Founder and Managing Director of ‘At My Pace’, a special education school in Colombo.
She also holds a Master’s degree in Applied Psychology in Education and has a background in child psychology and essential psychology in dealing with children with special needs.
“The pandemic presents a host of challenges including, adapted virtual access to educational and healthcare services, occupational therapy (OT), social skills training, speech and language therapy and other areas which are required to manage the child’s complex needs. Restriction in socialising and significant decrease in opportunities to engage in physical activities has definitely had a severe effect on children. Unpredictability and disruptions in structured routines can make a difference in their behaviour and development, which also extends to the rest of the family,” Ms Perera said.
According to her, early interventions in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) reduce progressive symptom development.
She said online therapy for children with special needs has had a considerable effect on their development and day-to-day activities,
“Online therapy is a promising modality that can complement in-person practice with the ongoing pandemic, which has served as an alternative to regular therapeutic practice. We have found that the parents and caregivers coaching along with the therapist online, has facilitated and contributed to the effectiveness in their development”, said Ms.Perera, who is also certified Applied Behaviour Analysis therapist.
The interactive activities that are effective were found to be singing and ice-breaker, action songs that focus on hand movements, music making with instruments, locomotor games, occupational therapy and special education-based activities including greetings and farewells, reading story books, fine motor games, building activities and art-craft activities.
However, online remedial support may have some inherent limitations. “For more severe impairments and inattention, online therapy may not be an ideal model to promote target skills and may increase parental stress levels,” said Ms.Perera.