Adelaide Child Development takes into consideration the whole child when designing and implementing a Child Development Program or plan of action for each individual.

Optimal Child Development requires:

• Self confidence
• Low stress levels
• Adequate diet & hydration
• Enough sleep
• Exercise

Parents need assistance to make informed decisions about how to help their child develop to their full potential. Too often symptoms of a child’s development are targeted medically  with the emphasis on labelling, rather than identifying the cause of the symptoms and developing strategies to address the various challenges of Child Development.

At Adelaide Child Development we understand that for a child to develop optimally and learn effectively they need to be in the right space physically, socially and emotionally. We need to address all facets of a child’s development in order to achieve optimal learning and personal success at school and at home.

Early child development plays a huge role in the continuing development of a child. Foundational development skills are vital before more complex skills can be mastered physically, socially and emotionally. Adelaide Child Development explores the early development of an individual before recommending a treatment plan thus addressing the foundational skills before hoping to ‘sort” the symptoms presenting as poor learning and listening skills , challenging behaviour or lack of confidence.

In a child’s early development challenging or stressful situations in the first 6 years of life can have long term effects unless addressed. These stressors could include a change in living conditions, death in the family, personal  illness (including ear infections), or trauma which can result in a shut down of development to focus on survival.

These challenges need to be identified and addressed because often children  are more sensitive/reactive to their bodies being out of balance which can result in behaviour and learning difficulties as well as immune challenges.

The Importance of Vestibular Stimulation in  Early Child Development

As the vestibular system is one of the first sensory systems to develop in the womb, it is a major organiser of sensations, and contributes to the development of  the word, understanding and speech.

The vestibular system located in the inner ear, plays a very important role in

• gravitational factors,
• balance,
• muscle tone,
• posture,
• coordination,
• space awareness,
• vision-eye movements,
• and the bringing together of  messages from other senses.

So for children who have had stress, trauma or ear infections as a young child, the stimulation of the vestibular may have been impeded at vital stages and this would have affected the development of  the child in some or all of these areas mentioned above.

Fraser Mustard, eminent Canadian researcher who specialised in Child Development, was the thinker in residence in Adelaide in 2006. He focused on the importance of the developmental pathways and  the vital role of  the vestibular and ear, brain connection. He stressed the need for early intervention for children with developmental challenges and encouraged us to address these challenges early, indicating that otherwise these challenges could manifest in various ways during a lifetime.

The AEDI was introduced  across Australia in 2009 to evaluate the readiness of children moving into school.

Source: Wisconsin Council on Children and Families
www.wccf.org/brain_baby_facts.php 

At Adelaide Child Development we work in conjunction with parents and trusted professionals to determine which aspects of your child’s development need to be addressed.