What early intervention actually is
Early intervention is not a single therapy. It’s a philosophy — that the work done with a child before age 6 carries disproportionate weight, because the brain at that age is forming patterns that are far easier to shape now than later.
Practically, our early intervention programme combines elements from OT, speech, ABA, and play, depending on what your child needs. A senior therapist designs the integrated plan. The hours, the modalities, the cadence — all adapted to a very young child’s nervous system, which can’t take in too much, too fast.
If your child has just been flagged — by a paediatrician, by school, by your own gut — early intervention is almost always the right starting question.
Who early intervention is for
You might be reading this if:
- Your child is between 2 and 6
- A paediatrician, school, or family member has flagged a developmental concern
- You’re worried about a delay — speech, motor, social, emotional, or all of the above
- A diagnosis (autism, developmental delay, global delay) has been made or is being considered
- You don’t yet have a diagnosis but something feels off, and you’d rather start than wait
- You’ve heard “wait and see” and you’re not sure that’s right
You don’t need a diagnosis to begin. In fact, an assessment as part of early intervention is often the right way to find out whether a diagnosis is needed at all.
What an early intervention week looks like
Early intervention isn’t one session a week — it’s a programme. Most children we see have between 4 and 10 hours per week, distributed across whichever modalities the senior therapist has prescribed.
A typical week might look like: two OT sessions, two speech sessions, one play-based group hour, and one parent-coaching session. For another child it might be three ABA hours, two OT, and one speech. The mix is set by the assessment, and revisited often.
Sessions look more like play than therapy. With very young children, that’s the point — the work has to be embedded in what they’re naturally engaged in.
How we approach early intervention
An integrated plan, not a roster of separate services. A senior therapist owns the overall plan and co-ordinates the others involved. Your child isn’t shuttled between unconnected appointments — the work is one work, in different rooms.
Parent training, embedded. With young children, the parent is in the room more than not. What you do in 16 waking hours a day matters as much as what we do in two. Parent coaching is part of every plan.
Honest assessment first. Not every child who arrives needs intensive intervention. We assess carefully and recommend a starting point that’s right-sized — sometimes more than parents expected, sometimes less.
What you can expect
Pace. Early intervention is intensive but adaptive — children can’t sustain too many hours, and we calibrate to keep them engaged, not exhausted.
Reports. Frequent, detailed, integrated across all the modalities your child is receiving.
PTMs. Senior-led, on cadence. We review the integrated plan together.
What we don’t promise. A specific outcome. A timeline to “catch up.” We promise the right work, in the right order, while the developmental window is most open.
Frequently asked
My paediatrician said “wait and see” — should I? “Wait and see” is sometimes right and sometimes the wrong answer. If you’re worried, an assessment isn’t a commitment — it’s a conversation. The cost of a too-early assessment is small. The cost of waiting too long can be larger.
My child is 2. Is that too young? No. We see children from age 2. Some forms of early intervention start younger.
Does early intervention “fix” autism / ADHD / developmental delay? No. Early intervention doesn’t make a developmental difference disappear. What it does is help children build skills, communication, and coping strategies during a period when the brain is most receptive — which often makes a meaningful difference to their independence and confidence later.
How many hours a week? Most children start at 4–10 hours a week, distributed across modalities. The senior therapist recommends a starting volume after the assessment.
What does it cost? Fees vary by hours and modalities. We don’t publish fees because the right plan is too child-specific to price up-front. The first conversation includes a clear scope and cost discussion before anything starts.