Basic therapies for your child are a must have.
If your child has been diagnosed with a developmental disability, you would want to know what Next? Early intervention should be your next step. Start by looking up basic therapies for your child or asking your paeditrician.
Early intervention describes the services and supports that are available to babies and young children with developmental delays and disabilities and their families. In this article, we will look at basic therapies that your child will need after diagnosis.
Behavioral Therapy
Have you ever come across a child or individuals whose behavior seems somewhat ‘inappropriate’? If your child laughs when they should not laugh, disrupt conversations, yell or scream while running across a room full of guests; social skills are lacking.
What crossed your mind? Bahavioral therapy helps correct social skills and mannerisms in children . A broad range of techniques can change maladaptive behaviors. The goal is to reinforce desirable behaviors and eliminate unwanted ones.
This therapy stems from the theory of Behavioral psychology that suggests that all behaviors are a result of experience. It is possible to condition people to behave differently.
There are different types of behavioral therapy that focus on various aspects of human behavior. There are various conditions that are treated through this therapy include; ADHD, Autism, phobia, Anxiety, Bipolar and more.
Additionally, bear in mind that this therapy is not enough. When treating complex mental health conditions like depression, schizophrenia, other forms of treatment must be incorporated The reason is it may not address underlying conditions or address the whole picture.
Speech Therapy
Most children who have delayed milestones may experience delayed speech or become non-verbal at all. Speech therapy is important the child learns how to articulate, express themselves fluently, understand and process what is being said to them, and more.
Speech therapy for your child may involve;
Interaction through talking, playing, reading books, or other objects to stimulate language development or as part of language intervention.
Modeling correct sounds and syllables for a child to learn how to make certain sounds.
Help to provide strategies and homework for the caregiver on how to carry out speech therapy at home.
Finally, consider discussing with your developmental pediatrician before settling for any form of therapy.
