The system of rehabilitation assistance has been improving in Ukraine for several years. The goal of rehabilitation is to restore the patient’s ability to be active and adapt him to new living conditions. At the center of the rehabilitation process is the person, not the diagnosis. And in working with young children (from birth to 3 years old), the views of specialists have changed, from the child as the center of the recipient of services to the family with the child as the main recipient of support.

“A child’s life is full of learning opportunities. In everyday family and community life, children encounter dozens of specific situations, opportunities, or events that involve planned or spontaneous interaction with people and the physical environment.” (Bruder ₴ Dunst, 2000).

From birth, a person develops in parallel in different areas. And these directions are interconnected, complement and stimulate each other. With the exclusion of one area of development, the development of others is delayed.

Conditionally distinguish the main areas of development: social, emotional, sensory, speech, cognitive and motor (physical).

In the first months of life, the socio-emotional development of the child comes first. These are the stormy emotions when the child is hungry, wet, frozen or unwell. And positive emotions when she is full, warm, near her parents. Social relations – interaction with parents, strangers and acquaintances, as well as with other children. By the age of three, there is an awareness of one’s self, one’s capabilities and desires.

The development of the social-emotional sphere encourages the development of language. The dynamics of a child’s speech development has three periods: pre-verbal (lasts up to one year), transition to active speech (from one to three years) and improvement of speech (from three to seven years).

In order to develop communication skills and strengthen speech activity in young children, when the development of verbal communication is difficult or impossible for certain reasons, alternative and auxiliary means of communication are used: gestures, icons, photos, global reading, communicative pictures (PECS), which develop the symbolic function of speech.

Sensory development is closely intertwined with physical development. Sensory development of a child is the development of sensations and perceptions, ideas about objects: their shape, color, size, location in space, objects and phenomena of the surrounding world.

Several conditions are important for the development of the motor (physical) sphere: motivation, strength, balance, movement patterns.

All the above-mentioned areas stimulate the development of the cognitive (cognitive) area: objective perception, imagination, memory, thinking.

The smaller the child, the more effect can be obtained from the correction of delays or developmental disorders. This is possible thanks to such a property of the child’s brain as neuroplasticity. A child’s development depends on high-quality care, conditions conducive to the child’s acquisition of personal experience, and the help of qualified specialists when necessary.

Specialists of the John’s Center can provide professional assistance to children and families. For this purpose, our institution has an “Early Intervention” service, which is currently actively developing and being promoted at the state level. Any family who has doubts about the correct development of their child or if the child has already been diagnosed can apply for help.

What does the Early Intervention service include?

  • Supporting parents in their parenting.
  • Development of the child in his everyday activities.
  • Cooperation of parents and specialists in the formation and implementation of goals.
  • Regular meetings over a long period of time.
  • Home visits.
  • Availability of online format.
  • The final stage is the program of the child’s transition to preschool education institutions.

The service delivery system consists of:

  • Parents’ appeal to the center in a telephone or other convenient format, to make an appointment for the first meeting.
  • First meeting at the John’s Center.
  • Second meeting in a family-friendly environment. Determining the child’s and family’s strengths. Analysis of the family’s daily activities. Determination of family goals and priorities.
  • Child testing.
  • Development of a family plan for child development.
  • Implementation of the family intervention plan. Weekly meetings of the specialist with the family.
  • Review the family intervention plan every six months or as needed.
  • Assistance in choosing a further path, service of transition to kindergarten, if necessary.

Thanks to the harmonious combination of partnership interaction between parents, the child, professionals and their environment, the skills and abilities of the child, its emotional and volitional sphere and personal self-esteem are strengthened.

If you have doubts about your child’s development, you can fill out the survey below. This questionnaire was developed in order to determine as soon as possible whether a child has developmental disorders and thus start helping him as early as possible.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfpAgMA38PRbU8MIY28ImXbFzLJ8a6rPXR0mF1ddkwYLuWg8w/viewform