As a parent, you will be confronted with so many situations during your child's development where you'll ask, 'What should I be doing to develop this skill?' or "Is this typical for my child's age?'

When we say 'development', we are describing from infancy all the way to young adulthood, not just the early years of a child's life, as I'm sure you're well aware that parental concerns don't stop when kids start school. 

So when should I contact a child development expert if I have a question or concern?

The rule of thumb is, it's never too early to ask for advice! 

It's never too early to get support, advice or information from an Occupational Therapist (OT), Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) or other Allied Health professional as it can help you to feel informed or provide you with some peace of mind. Unfortunately, 'the wait and see' approach can result in difficulties impacting more on a child's everyday life and their overall confidence and self-esteem. 

When parents initially have a concern about their child's development, they will often turn to their  family doctor/ G.P or they do a Google search. Often it isn't a medical model that is needed to support difficulties such as toileting, picky eating, behaviours or sensory seeking but a holistic, child development and family-centred approach which is adopted by allied healthcare professionals. For anxious and worried parents, Google can offer lots of information but it can create an information overload for parents and none of the information is individualised to their child & family. 

One of the most common reviews we see coming into Gabadoo is parents looking for support around their child's handwriting. Occupational Therapists are experts when it comes to reviewing and supporting writing development where they can provide strategies around fine motor skills including pincer grasp and letter formations, or they can inform you about the impact of sensory processing on postural control and pencil pressure. 

The benefit of using Gabadoo to get this support is not only the fact that it is much quicker and cheaper than traditional means, but strategies & activities are specifically chosen for your child. Completing appropriate activities chosen for your child's ability is key to ensuring they don't become disheartened and feel confident in achieving tasks.

If you have a question that you would like some expert support with, you can do so easily by creating a Gabadoo account and uploading information about your child, including videos and images showing your concern. This will then be reviewed by one of our team member who is experienced in the area you are looking for support with and they will provide you with individualised strategies, resources, product recommendations and next steps, so you know exactly what to do now aswell as having a plan going forward.