Early Intervention

What is the goal of E.I?

Early intervention ‘s key role is to identify the developmental areas where a child may be lagging so that, through an appropriate targeted treatment program, existing and emerging abilities are enhanced, minimizing this way any developmental delay.

Who needs E.I?

Children who can benefit from E.I belong in three main groups:

  1. Infants who develop conditions with a clear impact on their neurological and, by extension, psychomotor development, such as Cerebral Palsy, some genetic syndromes or myopathies
  2. Infants with an increased risk of developing neurodevelopmental problems due to organic or biological conditions during infancy, such as prematurity and long stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
  3. Infants coming from a poor psychosocial environment who lack appropriate stimuli.
How can neurodevelopmental disorders manifest in early infancy?

Most of the times neurodevelopmental disorders manifest as:

  • A delay in the development of gross motor milestones like crawling, sitting and walking
  • A delay in the development of fine motor milestones like grasping, coordination and play.
  • Difficulty in processing sensory stimuli that might be expressed as hyper or hypo- sensitivity in touch, sounds or motion.