Early intervention and rehabilitation of infants: how not to miss important changes in development
Kyiv • UNN
Early intervention and rehabilitation of infants help to timely detect developmental disorders. At the Kyiv Perinatal Center, 279 children successfully underwent rehabilitation over the course of a year.
The first years of a child's life are decisive for their future development. This is where early intervention and rehabilitation are important, as they allow noticing the slightest changes and responding to them in time. For whom such intervention is recommended and where to seek rehabilitation, read in the material of UNN.
The World Health Organization defines early rehabilitation of infants as a set of medical, physical, psychological, and family-oriented measures that begin immediately after birth or immediately after the detection of a risk of developmental disorders. In fact, behind this definition lies the future fate of the child, because early intervention and rehabilitation can significantly improve cognitive and mental development.
Early intervention and possible further rehabilitation are needed for a baby if they have the following risk factors or manifestations:
- Complications at birth: premature birth, birth trauma, asphyxia.
- Physical features: muscle tone disorders (hyper- or hypotonia), asymmetry of body position.
- Developmental delay: lag in motor, psychomotor, or speech development.
In Ukraine, consultation and comprehensive rehabilitation are usually provided in multidisciplinary hospitals and level III perinatal centers, such as the Kyiv Perinatal Center. Since 2020, this facility has had specialized early intervention spaces where babies receive qualified help from the first days of life. This facility also provides follow-up observation and medical rehabilitation of infants.
The Center for Follow-up Observation is continuous medical support for a child after discharge, which allows timely detection of the slightest deviations and not losing precious time, and the Department of Medical Rehabilitation of Infants is a space for comprehensive recovery and development of children with neurodevelopmental features.
As told to UNN, at the Perinatal Center, only last year, 279 infants successfully completed individual rehabilitation programs.
"We conduct comprehensive corrective and developmental sessions in outpatient and inpatient formats. The program is adapted to the physiological and individual characteristics of each baby," they say at the facility.
Programs may include physical therapy and therapeutic exercise, which are exercises for strengthening muscles, improving coordination, and developing gross and fine motor skills. The center also provides occupational therapy, i.e., helping the child adapt to everyday life. Services of a medical psychologist and speech therapist are also available here. If necessary, other specialized specialists are also available. That is, the center works comprehensively, paying attention to how to help parents create the best conditions for the child's development at home.