Looking for the best supports and services for your child can be a very daunting task. There are a number of disability services options that you can explore before deciding which best fits the needs of your child. There are partners in the community in the NDIS ecosystem and one of them is the Early Childhood Early Intervention Partner. Your ECEI partners are appointed by the NDIA to help family members with children 6 years old below understand the roles and benefits of the NDIS, link other appropriate supports, and offer independent advice on providers of support most suited to the needs of your child. You can rely on your ECEI partners as they are experts in early childhood intervention. On top of the things mentioned on what your ECEI Partner can do for you, they may also :
Connect you and your child to the community health center
Connect your child to the right educational setting
Connect your child to the appropriate playgroup
Provide some short-term early intervention
Help you to request NDIS access if your child requires longer-term early childhood intervention supports
Helps you with the development of your child’s NDIS plan
Can help facilitate and be present during Plan Meeting and Plan Review
How to go about the Early Childhood Intervention Approach?
1.If you deem that your child has a developmental delay, you may contact an early childhood partner in your area
2.Get some helpful information from your ECEI Partner
3.Your ECEI partner will be connecting you to the supports and services appropriate to your child’s current needs
4. Your ECEI will provide you with information and linkages to help you access supports and services available in the community
5.Your ECEI will keep progress notes of your child improvement against the goals set
Another option you can seek support for your child is by contacting your General Practitioner (GP) or health professional who might be able to refer you to a disability service provider.
Service providers may be able to help with:
· Lifecare skills (self-feeding, self- dressing, establishing self -care routines, training to use public transportation, daily living skills, boost self-esteem, use of Assistive Technology)
· Therapies from Allied Health Services (speech and language therapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, psychology)
· Community access support (access to community-based programs, group and one-on-one social support, companionship, and recreational activities to build social independence).
· Medical equipment (medical aids and equipment to help increase mobility, communication, and independence).
· Vehicle /Home Modification (to allow your child and family to freely move around the house or the community leading to independence in the future)
· Respite services (in-home, host family, center-based, and vacation care).
When your child turns seven and needs long-term support, you can now apply for the NDIS funding. It is important to note that prior to your plan meeting with your LAC, you may want to consider involving your child in setting up his/her goals. In this manner, your teaching your child to have choice and control over what he/she wants to achieve and the authority is also in his/her hands. When goals are clear, you will be able to identify the possible barriers your child will be encountering, thus, giving birth to the many supports and services you wish to have for your child. If you will be able to establish clear goals and needs, your plan meeting with your LAC will go smoothly.
Allow your child to be involved in the process :
. Have open communication with your child-all your child to share his/her personal opinions about his/her goals and how he/she wants to achieve them. It is also important that you guide your child in establishing SMART goals
· Assist your child in understanding the objectives of the plan -it is important that your child understands that the plan is designed to be progressive and it should inspire him/her to make improvements /progress every day
· Be versatile -match your child’s DISC or personality style, you may challenge his/her ideas in a fun way and you may give your inputs as well
· Explore different ways to elicit or spark interaction with your child when drafting his/her goals – make use of games or apps that help children express their thoughts and opinions, watch videos, images, actions, and storytelling
· Appreciate your child’s output-positive reinforcement is important to children. It is important to appreciate your child once his/her task is done which in this case is setting his/her goals
Deciding which supports and services for your child should be an informed decision not only for you and the other family members but most importantly for your child as well. The NDIA has partners in the community wherein you can freely tap and ask for support.
Do you have an NDIS plan and need reliable supports and services for your child? Get Plan Managed with Yogi Care and access both NDIS registered and non-registered service providers.
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