How Our Team Approach Transforms Early Childhood Intervention
Navigating the world of early childhood intervention can be a complex journey, both for families and therapists.
Our Therapy Pro for Kids team, recently honoured with the ‘Best Early Intervention Program’ at the National Australian Disability Service Awards, is committed to making a real difference in children’s lives.
The challenge is crafting interventions that truly fit each unique family – their needs, lifestyles, and how much time and energy they can invest.
So, how do we, as therapists, bridge this gap and deliver support that genuinely respects and adapts to the diversity of family environments?
Introducing a Team Around the Child Approach
Therapy Pro for Kids’ award-winning approach to early childhood intervention is via a ‘team around the child’ approach. This strategy played a pivotal role in our recognition at the Australian Disability Service Awards.
Here’s what we know: as kids grow, their needs evolve. They might start with occupational therapy and later require speech and language pathology assistance, or maybe psychology strategies, or social worker support. But the real foundation and constant in their life? It’s the family.
Through our approach, we lean on our experienced multidisciplinary team to offer flexible, tailor-made supports that click with each family. It’s about helping families choose strategies that seamlessly blend into their everyday life and routines. Because as we know – most of a child’s learning happens in the real world, not just during therapy sessions.
What This Means for Multidisciplinary Teams
This approach is not just therapy as usual; it’s about empowering parents with the skills and strategies that sync with their family goals. And it aligns with the core values of what therapy is all about – putting the child and family at the heart of everything we do.
This way of working ups the game in care quality and our approach is a testament to our commitment to excellence in the field.
What sets our approach apart is the way we bring therapists together to support the child and family. We carefully select a team that matches each child’s specific needs and goals. This personalised, holistic care is seamlessly managed through what we call a “key worker”.
The key worker simplifies the therapy process for families. Instead of managing multiple therapists, families work with one primary therapist – the key worker. This therapist coordinates all aspects of the child’s therapy, integrating it into the home and daily life. It’s about making therapy practical and consistent for each family.
The key worker serves as a single point of contact, streamlining communication and maintaining continuity in care. They blend different therapeutic strategies from various specialists into one plan. This not only boosts the therapy’s effectiveness but also makes life easier for families.
For our multidisciplinary team, this means greater collaboration and a deeper understanding of each child’s unique context. Therapists from fields like occupational therapy, speech and language pathology, psychology, and social work bring their expertise together in a unified way. Regular team discussions and shared objectives ensure that everyone is working towards the same goals, leading to more comprehensive and impactful care.
Ultimately, our ‘team around the child’ approach, championed by a key worker, creates an environment where each child’s needs are holistically met. It’s a collaborative, dynamic process that benefits the child and their family, reinforcing our commitment to providing exceptional care.
A Real-World Client Story
As an example, we have the story of a 6-year-old boy who barely spoke when he first came to us. His family’s goal was simple yet powerful – to connect and communicate with him meaningfully. Our multidisciplinary team were able to develop a rapport with the child, work out how to best communicate with him, understand how his family would best be supported, implement an approach, and determine his developmental needs and strengths. We provided holistic updates to his healthcare team and advocated for his unique needs.
Fast forward two years, and this child is about to get a speech-generating device, opening up a whole new world of expression for him at home, school, and beyond. This is what our approach is all about – creating meaningful, lasting changes in lives.
Although it began with a focus on communication, this journey was about understanding the child as a whole person – his likes, dislikes, how he interacts with his environment, and how we can support his family to support him, holistically. It’s been an incredible journey to see his transformation and the positive impact it has had on his family.
Supporting Early Childhood Intervention
We’re always tuning into what families need, ready to evolve and innovate. Receiving the ‘Best Early Intervention Program’ award reaffirms our commitment to delivering family-centred care that’s packed with empathy, expertise, and empowerment.
Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about achieving goals; it’s about nurturing joy, confidence, and a sense of accomplishment in every child and family we work with. And we truly believe that a ‘team around the child’ approach, now nationally recognised, helps us achieve just that.
If you’re looking for early intervention for your young child, please reach out! Fill in the contact form below and our team will be in touch:
