2022 . 06 . 01 
196 Every child is unique in his or her own way. During the early years of their life, children with special needs require significant attention and support to bridge the gap between their skills and the skills of their typically developing peers. Early intervention can make a significant difference in your child’s life, thus early diagnosis of autism is essential. Through ABA and its structure of assessment and intervention, language development, and specialized treatments, it becomes much easier to ensure your child is on the right path, avoiding any potential snags along the way.
Understanding the Developmental Milestones
Knowing the developmental milestones of your child's age is an effective way of understanding whether he or she needs early intervention. Once you know what abilities a child should have at his or her age, it is easier to determine whether your child has autism or other special needs. As a result, you can act sooner to enroll your child in a specialized program, hire ABA professionals, or find a private kindergarten that offers small groups so that your child will be provided with the assistance and support he or she needs.
For example, your child will begin to hold his head upright when he is lying on his stomach at the age of two months. She/he opens hands, makes other sounds in addition to crying, and watches you as you move. At 4 months of age, your kid starts using his hands more, brings them into his/her mouth, smiles, chuckles, and makes various sounds.
You can find more information here: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html
Language Development
A child's specific needs can be met with an individualized intensive intervention that is effective, reliable, and adaptable. One of the most effective ways to develop language skills is to give a child a reason to use language. For example, keeping your child's favorite toy out of reach and encouraging to ask for it. We can say the same thing if we open the picture book and talk about the findings. Games! This is the best way to teach your child how to initiate an interaction, try out new things, and adapt to new situations. This is not an innovative but a very effective approach. Would you like your child to start using language? If so, use language continuously. "Look, what is that? A bus! Yes, it is a bus. The bus is blue. Who is in that bus? People.." etc. It is very important to interpret your child's attempts to interact and to encourage her/him to speak and communicate in their own way. Bubbling? Good! Gestures? Excellent! Facial expressions? Formidable!
When should you begin using language with your child? The age of a newborn is a good time to begin ☺!
Is language merely about speaking? No! Listening is one of the most important aspects of language. To communicate properly, she/he needs to understand what others say, while also learning how to respond to them in different situations.
Social Skills and Autism
Social skills development is a part of the early intervention process. The main social skills kids include communication with peers, coping with negativity, understanding social cues, expressing sympathy, forgiving, keeping friendships, expressing remorse, identifying when someone struggles, and also understanding other people's feelings.
There are social skills groups that can assist students in developing their social skills and connecting with their peers. Having small classes in a private school that specializes in autism can benefit the development of social skills in a structured and determined environment. Additionally, it can provide better learning opportunities for study and practice.
Early Intervention
Is it possible for early intervention to cure autism? A study shows that around 14% of kids with autism that underwent an intensive early intervention program were able to see radical improvements. Such treatment makes a difference for multiple years after it ends. A child's developmental milestones can be kept on track through early intervention. Aside from that, making progress will give your child greater confidence, eliminate worries, and increase their focus on results.
There are four key components of early intervention:
- physical,
- cognitive,
- social/emotional
- behavioral (https://www.eif.org.uk/why-it-matters/what-is-early-intervention)
The importance of a proper diagnosis is indisputable, which is why a developmental pediatrician or a psychologist carries out a formal assessment. Upon receiving this information, professionals will establish the most appropriate treatment plan for your child. Enrolling your child in a dedicated language development program with small classes like I Am Smart School can help immensely.
It’s a great way for kids with autism to not only receive adequate assistance and support but also reach their developmental milestones and live happy life. Services such as ABA, social skills development, and school readiness programs can be very useful, and they can make a great deal of difference to your child's development.
Is Early Intervention Helpful?
Certainly, early interventions will assist any child with autism in improving their social and daily living skills, as well as their communication and other skills. Intervention at an early age has a positive effect on the quality of a child's life. (https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/whyActEarly.html)
On top of that, early intervention helps increase the chances of children with autism gaining speech skills. Starting early on, before pre-school years, is incredibly important, and sometimes even an early starting point as 6 months old is recommended.
If you’re looking for specialized early intervention solutions from a private school and therapy agency in Ontario, then don’t hesitate and get in touch with the I Am Smart School. Here you can find specialized language development, social skills development, and communication skills development programs for your child. Several different programs are available to meet the specific needs of your child, while also ensuring that they reach the necessary developmental milestones. It is imperative that your child participates in early intervention programs such as these, so take advantage of this opportunity and enroll them today!