Terms and Definitions for Early Childhood Intervention Services

• ECIS - Early Childhood Intervention Services
  
• DEECD - Department of Education & Early Childhood Development
  
• SCS - Specialist Children’s Services (a section within DEECD that provides ECI services)
  
• CENTRAL INTAKE - takes all referrals for Early Childhood Services in Hume Region from parents or practitioners.
  
• OT - Occupational Therapist
  
• SP - Speech Pathologist
  
• Physio - Physiotherapist
  
• FSC - Family Service Co-ordinator
  
• FSSP - Family Services Support Plan
  
• HCWA - Helping Children with Autism funding (Federal funding)
  
• ASAT - Autism Spectrum Assessment Team
  
• MASS - Mansfield Autism Statewide Services
  
• NECAMHS - Nth. East Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services
  
• SCOPE - Organisation offering specialised disability services (eg. Speech therapy, occupational therapy, etc)
• Transdiscplinary Team Work
• Key Worker

 

What is....

Occupational Therapy is about a child’s play, self-care and learning tasks.

An Occupational Therapist can improve a child’s ability to function adequately in daily life, particularly with motor, perceptual and daily living skills.

Occupational therapists work with children and their families to maximise the child’s Intervention. Therapy programs assist the child to participate in play, preschool and home activities by providing assessment and strategies in the areas of self-care and learning. Programs for children help the child develop social skills and self esteem.
An occupational therapist can provide:

• A comprehensive assessment of a child’s abilities which may identify Developmental difficulties in self-care, motor and visual perception.
  
• Individual and group therapy programs which are appropriate for the child’s needs and Developmental stage.
  
• Consultation with preschool teachers in program planning and curriculum modification for specific difficulties.
  
• Provide suggestions to parents to help the child’s Intervention at home.
  
• Advice on adapting equipment and/or the environment to allow the child to participate more fully in daily life.
  
• Advice on Special equipment that may assist the child with independence eg splints.

 

Physiotherapy is the treatment of movement disorders.

A Physiotherapist can assist in situations, conditions and environments or interactions where movement occurs. Physiotherapists work with children and their families to maximize the child’s movement potential. Therapy programs assist the child to participate in play, preschool and home activities and enhance the quality of life.

The physiotherapist can assist the family:

• To understand children with movement difficulties.
  
• To develop skills for managing children with specialised physical needs e.g. positioning.
  
• To address discrepancies between the child’s motor performance and other expectations.
  
• To assess the environment by modifying it with ramps, rails etc.
  
• To facilitate independent means of mobility with walking aids, wheelchairs etc.
  
• By developing programs to assist the child such as:
  
  • Strengthening programs
    
  • Motor planning programs
    
  • Balance and coordination program
    
  • Splinting program
    
  • Stretching muscle program

 

Speech Pathology is about a child’s communication skills.

Speech pathologists assess and treat children who have a range of communication disabilities. Speech pathologists can work with children and their families to maximise the child’s Intervention by assisting the child in play, preschool and home activities that can improve the child’s quality of life.

A speech pathologist can provide:

• An assessment of the child’s communication skills.
  
• Develop programs for children who have eating and swallowing difficulties.
  
• Assist the child by providing advice on the correct communication aides and technological devices.
  
• Develop programs for children in the areas of:
  
  • language
    
  • interactive social skills
    
  • speech
    
  • voice production
    
  • swallowing
    
  • stuttering
    

 

Family Service Co-ordination (FSC) assist families who require help to access and coordinate services.

Family Service Coordinators assist with client education, service facilitation and coordination, crisis situations, assessment of a child’s and family’s needs, service planning, advocacy and evaluation and assist in making referrals to appropriate agencies for counselling, parenting programs. FSC’s also assist families and children with transition to preschool and school.

 

Psycholgists undertake developmental and cognitive assessments that assist in identifying the child’s cognitive (intellectual) development, social interaction and play skills.

Using a family-centred approach the Psychologist undertakes:

• Cognitive and Developmental assessments (Cognitive assessments focus on how the child remembers, thinks, acts and feels emotion. Cognitive processes are complex, diverse and highly interrelated).
  
• Behaviour Management – the provision of behaviour management strategies and programs to the family and/or other environments the child attends such as kindergarten.
• Secondary Consultation to other therapists/practitioners/service providers.
  
• Counselling.
  
• Group work with a focus on parent education, behaviour management, parenting skills, developmental issues.

 

Educational Advisers undertake assessments of children’s developmental level, social interaction and play skills.

• Education Advisers work with families to identify developmental needs or concerns including learning, social skills and play skills.
  
• They work within the home environment, childcare, Kindergartens and family day care and may assist with inclusion and transition into Kindergarten and school.
  
• Education Advisers may provide consultation, monitoring and evaluation within generic services. Will work with other workers to support and plan for inclusion.
  
• Education Advisers may provide a variety of intervention programs including individual play sessions, group programs and support to generic services.

 

Family Services Support Plan

This plan is developed at Intake and documents the family’s identified needs, their strengths and abilities, priorities and concerns and actions required to address these. This information will support allocation to an agency and key worker. The FSSP will be reviewed and updated once service commences as the needs of the family and child change.

 

Transdiscplinary Team Work

Transdiscplinary Team Work involves delivering an integrated, holistic service by a team of ECIS practitioners which meets the identified needs of the child and family. Families are equal partners in the team, involved to whatever extent they desire in assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation and hold ultimate decision-making power about the service being delivered to their child. A designated practitioner acts as the key worker and co-ordinates the services provided by the team.

 

Key Worker

Key Worker will be the primary service provider and main contact person for the family during their ECIS journey. They will work with the family around the child’s disability/additional support needs and empower families by providing them with support, resources and information to help them make informed choices about ECI service provision and accessing universal services. The key worker will co-ordinate primary and secondary consultations with ECIS practitioners, or professionals outside the ECIS sector.