If you have a child that has received therapy services either currently or in the past, you may have heard of the terms "parent coaching" or "parent mediated" interventions. Over the past decade, research has demonstrated that one of the most effective ways to create consistent and lasting benefits from therapy services is to ensure that the parent is as involved as possible. This probably sounds extremely obvious, as the parent generally spends the most time with the child. However, parent presence in the room during sessions is not enough.
That is where a "parent mediated" intervention comes in, with the parent being the one that is implementing the intervention. In fact, the parent is usually sitting with his or her child playing with a toy, and the therapist works with the parent to identify the child's cues and appropriate response to his or her cues. This type of intervention works really well with young children that show risk signs for autism, because those children often struggle with appropriate and imaginative play (sometimes the child gets "stuck" playing with the same toy over and over). This intervention teaches the parent how the child is currently playing, and how to use the child's strengths to encourage them to expand their play schema.
The goal of this intervention model is to empower parents and families to understand how to play with their children in a way that supports their goals and advances their development. Therapy services usually only happen one or two times a week per discipline, but caregivers have consistent, daily opportunities to play that can now be taken advantage of.
If you have concerns about your infant or toddler's development, do not hesitate to reach out to your pediatrician, or refer yourself to the regional center. Here is a link to the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) website for the state of California: https://www.dds.ca.gov/rc/.
In the next blog post, I will describe some "risk factors" or "early signs" of developmental delays where a referral to early intervention may be indicated. The earlier the child receives the support, the greater gains he or she can receive because of the explosive development of the brain in the first few years of life.
Photo byDavid StraightonUnsplash
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