ECI Gold Coast
Developmental delays and disabilities may affect younger children or babies and it is difficult for parents to provide the best care, which can be frustrating. While parents know what's best for their children, it is essential to seek assistance as early as possible from healthcare professionals to manage and improve developmental delay or disability, resulting in less need for long-term intervention for a more independent life. Therefore, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) provides the Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) to citizens and residents of Gold Coast for parents worried about their child's developmental condition, especially those 7 years old and below.
NDIS offers the ECI program through Positive Moods, an Early Childhood Partner, which aims to support children 0-6 years old who have a disability or developmental delay. Through this program, families will receive support in identifying their child’s condition so they can live a quality life and reach their maximum capacity. The citizens and residents of Gold Coast are encouraged to avail of the ECI program from Positive Moods, a registered NDIS service provider that can provide assistance in long term for NDIS. As an Early Childhood Partner, Positive Moods will work closely with families and carers to ensure that children with disability or developmental delays can avail support from the NDIS and the local community.
ECEI Support
The Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECI) is a support program designed to assist younger children 0-6 years old with developmental delay or disability, their families, and their carers. The program will provide varying support in line with children's needs and conditions, be it a disability or developmental delay. In addition, in Positive Moods, healthcare professionals will consider that families know the best for their child. Therefore, a family-centred approach implements throughout the ECI program. Intervention specialists will also assist families in identifying the most efficient strategies that can benefit them and their children while doing daily activities and routines at home and in the community.
Additionally, ECI offers the Early Childhood Approach (ECA) to children 0-6 years old if they don’t have a developmental delay but have developmental concerns. Under ECA, it will utilise evidence-based research, strength-based, and best practise guidelines for Early Childhood Intervention. This approach will also provide families and carers the most-suited community support, which can open a child to more opportunities for learning and growing. ECI ensures that families who have children with disability, developmental delays, or developmental concerns receive the best support they need to have a good start with their life.
Administering ECI
Considering that the early stage of a child’s life is crucial in developing and learning, the ECI program can assist them as they grow older to identify their developmental condition, recommend efficient strategies for intervention, and give access to the best support for a quality life. Parents and carers residing at Gold Coast are encouraged to make first contact with Positive Moods as they will serve as a bridge to assist children with disability, developmental disability, or have developmental concerns. Assistance is given to families to identify children's needs and plan the necessary support to acquire, which aims to provide the best life and encourage engagement in daily activities.
In addition, Positive Moods will assist in connecting families to the local community to access the best services, like daycare centres, playgroups, and programs for children's health and development. Through the ECI program, families and children are also assisted in applying for a long-term NDIS support plan and provided with an ECI or ECA plan. Families and carers will also work with experienced developmental specialists, experts in allied health, early education, or family support to help them understand the child's developmental condition and which areas of their life require assistance. Then, they will decide with developmental specialists on the support services that are the most beneficial for the child. The program will also use the Best Practise Guidelines for Early Childhood Intervention to provide the required support for children with developmental delays and disabilities.
Benefits of ECI
The ECI program allows families and carers to work with developmental specialists to help them identify and provide the most appropriate support plan to children 0-6 years old with developmental delays or concerns, as well as disabilities. Also, ECA and ECEI plans can help younger children, families, and carers in multiple ways, such as:
Earliest possible support to ensure access to beneficial supports
Daily support in any settings such as at home, daycare, playgroup, sports, and community activities
Providing vital information for Early Childhood Intervention to parents and carers that they can practise with children
Assisting families and carers in guiding their children in developing and applying new skills
Providing different types of services and assistance to children and families that matches their needs and condition
Providing information about beneficial support services like playgroups or parent support groups
Enhancing parents' and carers' ability and confidence to manage and respond to the support a child needs
Enhancing children’s abilities to do daily activities they like or need
Enhancing children's participation and involvement in the mainstream community environment, like daycare or recreation
Apart from that, Positive Moods will collaborate with the community to identify the most sufficient and helpful intervention to assist every child's needs. ECI will also offer the newest universal services that can be accessed in the community and make a path for children with permanent disabilities to apply and obtain long-term NDIS support plans.
Accessing ECI
The citizens and residents of Gold Coast may access ECI by setting up a meeting with an Early Childhood Partner, like Positive Moods, to help them understand the developmental condition and essential support a child needs. Developmental specialists will also provide an ECI or ECA plan. However, families and carers should have some proof that indicates that a child has a developmental concern, disability, or developmental delay, to have better chances of availing a support plan. These include:
Gathering any proof that can show why the child needs support. It can be letters children wrote to people close to them or a formal letter from a healthcare professional. While a diagnosis is not required, families and carers need to help Early Childhood partners understand the child's life and why ECI is beneficial.
Identifying the parent’s and child’s goals in accessing the ECI support. Setting a goal is essential as the ECI support plan should benefit the children, families, and carers.
For more details on NDIS Assessments, citizens and residents of Ipswich who are existing participants or manifesting permanent and significant disability, may call Positive Moods on 1300 001 470, email at ndis@positivemoods.com.au, or fill in the contact form on https://www.positivemoods.com.au/contactus.