Jason is four-years-old. He lives with his parents, Lisa and Simon, and his six-year-old sister. Jason attends childcare three days a week. Lisa and Simon have been concerned about Jason’s development and they noticed delays in his speech milestones and playing skills.
In addition, Lisa and Simon also became concerned when Jason’s childcare reported he was yelling at other children and hitting out. They said he also shied away from painting and drawing activities and they identified his fine motor skills were under developed, which was impacting his ability to complete some daily activities.
In a recent paediatrician visit, Lisa and Simon were told Jason has a developmental delay and a recommendation was made for them to contact an early childhood partner in their local area.
Lisa, Simon and Jason met with an early childhood partner at their home. The early childhood partner observed Jason in his natural setting; completed a functional screening tool and discussed Lisa and Simon’s concerns.
The early childhood partnerreviewed Jason’s developmental needs and considered available mainstream supports in the community to support the family. Lisa, Simon and the early childhood partner discussed desired goals for Jason’s development. Lisa said they would like to improve Jason’s speech so people could understand him better. She also indicated they would like Jason to be able to play and interact with other children, and to develop his fine motor skills.
The early childhood partner taught the family strategies to help build Jason’s communication skills and additionally, to help develop his fine motor skills. The family shared these strategies with Jason’s childcare workers.
The early childhood partner also visited the centre, observed and provided support to assist staff in managing Jason’s challenging behaviour and assisting him to follow the childcare routine positively.
Lisa and Simon implemented the early childhood partner strategies and over time, there was a notable improvement across Jason’s communication skills, fine motor skills and behaviour.
The early childhood partner also linked Lisa to the local community centre parent support group where she started attending weekly. There, she was able to develop some friendships with other mothers.
The early childhood partner monitored Jason’s progress over the next few months and continued to offer support to the family. Childcare staff were pleased to report Jason’s interactions with other children had improved and he was participating more positively in the childcare program.
Jason’s family and childcare staff felt more confident in supporting his developmental outcomes. As a result of this intervention, Jason is likely to successfully transition to school without the need for further specialised intervention.