Early Intervention - What is available to help my child with their learning challenges?

Early Intervention Services (EIS) operates under Learning Support at the Ministry of Education, to help very young children with extra learning needs.

It is a free, needs-based service, so if you, or your Well Child provider, have any concerns about your child’s social, or cognitive development it may be worthwhile getting in touch with the EIS. You do not need a diagnosis to access support.

If your child is already at an Early Childhood Education (ECE) Centre, you may prefer someone from the centre to contact EIS on your behalf. They can only do so, however, with your full permission.

Someone from EIS will contact you to discuss your concerns and your goals for your child, and importantly, what you would like to happen next. Using the information you provide them with, EIS will form an Early Intervention team to work with you and your child. Together you will develop a plan to support your child’s learning and development.

As EIS provides support to children from birth to the age of five, in the first few years, it is likely that support will be provided in your own home.
After the age of three, your child’s Early Intervention Plan will most probably include supporting them at their ECE service or Kohanga Reo.

Early Intervention Teams can include:

• Speech-language therapists
• Psychologists
• Early Intervention Teacher
• Kaitiakawaenga (Maori Cultural Advisers)
• Education support workers
• Advisers on deaf children.

What happens once my child turns five?

Like all children in New Zealand, once your child turns five, they transition from pre-school to primary school or home-schooling. At this point your child may no longer need extra support to engage fully in school life – either socially or in their learning journey.

This may not be the case for other children, and for those children especially, it is important to manage the transition carefully, planning well in advance of their start date.

Make sure your pre-school has passed on relevant information about your child’s needs, strengths, interests and goals. Also, do your best to prepare your child for this big change in their daily life. Reassure them that they will be supported every step of the way.

Talk to the school yourself, preferably to your child’s kaiako and the SENCO teacher about your child’s needs and find out what resources they can access. There are a number of options available depending on your child’s level of need including:

• The Special Education and Operations Grant
• Ongoing Resourcing Scheme
• School High Health Needs Fund
• Severe Behaviour Service
• Communication Service.

For some children mainstream schooling may not be the best option – explore what else is available such as special schools that address your child’s needs in a more targeted way.

Visit the Early Intervention Service website or phone Learning Support on 0800 622 222, for full details.

For more on Early Intervention, check out other panui in this series on Awhi Nga Matua. You might also find the resources below useful, which include website, books and articles from the IHC Library. Or contact the IHC library direct to have a chat about what you need on 0800 442 442 or email: Librarian@ihc.org.nz.

Kids’ Books from the IHC Library
·      Quinn at School – Relating, Connecting and Responding at School – A book for children ages 3-7 – Rick Warren

Books for Adults from the IHC Library
·      Early Childhood Intervention without Tears – Improved support for infants with disabilities and their families – Peter Limbrick
·      Early Intervention Every Day! – Embedding Activities in Daily Routines for Young Children and their Families – Merle Crawford, Barbara Weber
·      Cara’s Kit for Toddlers – Creating Adaptations for Routines and Activities – Philippa Campbell, Suzanne Milbourne, Alexis Kennedy
·      Early Intervention Practices Around the World – S. Odom, M. Hanson, J. Blackman, S. Kaul
·      The Early Intervention Guidebook for Families and Professionals – Partnering for Success - Bonnie Keilty
·      Group Play Interventions for Children – Strategies for Teaching Prosocial Skills – Linda Reddy
·      _Early Learning Goals for Children with Special Needs – Learning Through Play _- Collette Drifte
·      _Small Steps Forward – Using Games and Activities to Help Your Pre-school Child with Special Needs – _Sarah Newman
·      DEC Recommended Practices – A Comprehensive Guide for Practical Application in Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education – Susan Sandall, Mary Hemmeter, Barbara Smith, Mary McLean
·      Teaching Individuals with Developmental Delays – Basic Intervention Techniques – I. Lovaas
·      Working with Families of Young Children with Special Needs – R. A. McWilliam
·      Inclusion in the Childhood Classroom – What makes a difference? – Susan Recchia, Yoon-Joo Lee
·      Prevent, Teach, Reinforce for Young Children – The Early Childhood Model of Individualized Positive Behaviour Support – Glen Dunlap, Kelly Wilson, Phillip Straing, Janice Lee
·      Helping Children to Improve their Gross Motor Skills – The Stepping Stone Curriculum – Rachel White
·      Cerebral Palsy in Infancy Targeted Activity to Optimize Early Growth and Development – Roberta Shepherd
·      Young Exceptional Children – Family-based practices – E. Horn, M. Ostrosky, H. Jones

Videos:
·      What is Early Intervention? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TdNbOco9jU)
·       The Power of Early Intervention: What happens early matters for a lifetime (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doZAS-tHBm4)

Helpful websites:
·      Early Intervention Services - www.education.govt.nz/early-childhood/teaching-and-learning/early-intervention/ )
·      Plunket Whanau Awhina - www.plunket.org.nz

·      Children’s Health, Starship, Te Whatu Ora /Te Toka Tumai Auckland -www.adhb.health.nz/our-services/a-z-services/childrens-health/
·      Child Development Centre, Te Whatu Ora/ Waikato - www.waikatodhb.health.nz/about-us/a-z-of-services/child-development-centre/
·      Child Health, Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand/Lakes - www.healthpoint.co.nz/public/paediatrics/child-health-lakes-te-whatu-ora/child-development-team/
·      Child Development Service, Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand/Southern - www.southernhealth.nz/services/child-development-service-southland-southern-te-whatu-ora)
·      Child Development Service, Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand/Waitaha Canterbury - www.cdhb.health.nz/health-services/child-development-service/
·      Community Child Health, Te Whatu Ora/Waitemata - www.waitematadhb.govt.nz/hospitals-clinics/clinics-services/community-child-health
·      Child Development Service, Wellington Regional Children’s Hospital Te Whatu Ora/Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley - www.ccdhb.org.nz/our-services/wellington-childrens-hospital/
·      Child Development Service, Te Whatu Ora/Health New Zealand/MidCentral - www.midcentraldhb.govt.nz/HealthServices/ChildHealth/Pages/Child-Development.aspx
·      Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People - www.whaikaha.govt.nz/support-and-services/specific-disability-services/child-development-services
·      Early Intervention Foundation (www.eif.org.uk)

Resources for kids

Quinn at school :

Quinn at school :

"Early diagnosis and early intervention are both important factors...

"Early diagnosis and early...

Meryl Richards

I’m Meryl Richards. What a pleasure it’s been to join the Awhi team. I get to spend my days researching information that supports me as a parent, and sometimes challenges me to rethink what I thought I knew. My hope is that it will be useful to you too. I live in Kapiti with my partner and two teenage boys, and spend as much time as possible in the surrounding bush and at the beach.