“All kids are gifted; some just open their packages earlier than others.”- Michael Carr
The changes that occur in the period of early childhood development is truly remarkable. The brain development that occurs in the early years plays an important role in their cognitive development (Pierce, K., Glatt, S. J., Liptak, G. S., & McIntyre, L. L., 2009). Early child development usually follows a sequence, as the child needs to acquire the first skill before they get to the next, but all children develop at their own rate.
When it comes to Autism, research shows that early interventions are more likely to have major long-term positive effects on symptoms and later skills (Olley, J. G., 2005). When a child receives early intervention (2-6 years of age), the child’s young brain is still forming and therefore more changeable than at older ages. Because of this, treatments such as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Speech Language Therapy and Occupational Therapy have a better chance of being effective in the longer term. Meaning, the sooner a child gets help, the greater the chance for learning and progress.
High quality early intervention not only promotes optimal learning to support every child’s needs, it also strengthens understanding and communication in the family. Early intervention not only benefits the child but as well as the families by being able to better understand their children’s needs from an early age and help them learn skills that will be beneficial throughout their lives.
At The Doris Duan-Young Autism Center (DDY), the center provides multidisciplinary approach to People of Determination across different ages. DDY also provides individualized behavior plans that caters to each child’s needs.
During the early stage of intervention, Registered Behavior Technicians (RBT) in DDY creates an environment and use teaching strategies through the process of ABA that will make the child feel that learning is fun, communicating is fun and responding to other people is fun. DDY uses the child’s motivation to promote language and to build behaviors that are socially significant. Families are also included in the child’s treatment goals in order to work on generalization, as DDY highly believes that skills that are learned in the center are more meaningful if they are being shown at home and in the community.
DDY's main goal is to help improve the quality of life of its children and achieve their acceptance and inclusion in society. Therefore, we cater our expertise to children as young as 2 years old and provide them the support in learning developmental milestones appropriate for their age.
A few ways DDY supports early intervention children includes:
• Communication skills
• Listener skills
• Behavior reduction
• Social/Group skills
• Play skills
• Pre-academic skills
• Life Skills (e.g., toilet training, dressing, feeding)
If you are a parent to a child who seeks early intervention, you can inquire and visit DDY in order to receive top-notch treatment for your child and family. The earlier the intervention begins, the greater the chance your child has of reaching his or her full potential.
