Making friends, transitioning to school and separating from primary care givers are just some of the many challenges that young children face as they grow. With so much to cope with it’s not surprising that some need extra support.
“There are a range of services that can assist you and your child prepare for school and maximise their ability to perform every day activities,” says Rebecca Kriek, Assistant Manager Early Intervention and Therapy Services at Windermere Child & Family Services.
Windermere’s services which improve overall health and wellbeing, include:
• Speech and Language therapy to work with you and your child to develop communication, speech, pronunciation and language skills.
• Occupational Therapy to enhance independence and everyday living skills.
• Physiotherapy to improve mobility and physical skills.
• Psychology to assist with emotional wellbeing and cope with different situations.
“We also offer a range of specialist programs which assist children to develop and practice life skills in fun and supportive group-based settings. We particularly cater for children who have a diagnosis or developmental delay,” says Rebecca.
Many of the group programs, which cover a range of age groups and needs, cater to supporting preschool and primary age children to develop life skills. These include fostering independence, social and communication skills as well as school readiness.
“Our group programs also include specialist therapy components designed to support the development of particular skill sets,” says Rebecca.
The Ready, Set, School sessions for example include a speech pathology and occupational therapy component to support the development of sound and letter links, writing names, recognising numbers and counting skills.
Windermere’s Group Programs are run at locations across Melbourne’s south east, including Berwick, Warragul and Cranbourne. Parents are usually requested to attend the sessions with their children. This is to enable parents and children to learn how to continue working towards goals outside of the sessions.
Windermere also offers a range of group programs for different age groups and circumstances. For example, there are programs for parents in areas such as mental health, resilience and behaviour management.
To complement these specialist services Windermere is also launching a new Behaviour Management service which maximises quality of life for adults. The service will provide intensive and individualised support to manage unsafe or inappropriate behaviours.
Services will include:
• Physiotherapy services to prescribe specialist equipment to maximise independence.
• Exercise Physiology focussing on health and wellbeing outcomes through improved muscle function.
• Occupational Therapy to improve independence and daily living skills.
• Behaviour Support Services with a focus on mental health and psychology outcomes.
To find out more about Windermere’s services talk to the team on 1300 946 337 or email info@windermere.org.au.
