Good early childhood support should help your child build skills, participate more fully and become increasingly confident in everyday life. It should also help your family feel more confident supporting your child’s development.
Progress looks different for every child. It may be a significant milestone or a series of small changes that build over time.
The important question is not simply whether your child is attending therapy appointments.
It is whether their support is making a meaningful difference at home, childcare, kindergarten, school and in the community.
Your child’s NDIS goals provide direction, but meaningful progress is often seen in everyday moments.
It could look like your child:
The changes that matter most will depend on your child’s strengths, development and interests, as well as what is important to your family.
You should understand what your child is working towards and how their support relates to your family’s priorities.
Good early childhood support starts by getting to know your child—their strengths, interests, relationships and routines. It also considers what would make the most meaningful difference to your family’s everyday life.
Support should focus on outcomes that matter, rather than simply completing a set number of appointments.
Effective support should help your child become increasingly confident and capable.
This could mean communicating more clearly, developing a new play skill, participating in part of a routine or becoming more comfortable in an unfamiliar environment.
Progress will not always mean your child can complete an activity independently. It may mean they participate for longer, need less assistance or find an activity less stressful.
Learning a skill during an appointment is an important first step. Meaningful progress happens when your child begins using that skill during everyday routines, activities and play.
For example, your child might:
If your child is finding it difficult to use a skill outside therapy appointments, ask your practitioner how it could be practised in familiar situations.
Good support should create more opportunities for your child to participate in the activities, relationships and environments that matter to them.
This could include joining family routines, playing with other children, taking part in learning activities or feeling more comfortable in the community.
Participation will look different for every child. What matters is that support helps your child become more involved in their own way.
You know your child and family best. Your practitioner should listen to your experiences, respect your priorities and involve you in decisions.
As your child grows, they should also be supported to express their preferences and make choices in ways that work for them.
You should feel comfortable asking questions, sharing feedback and saying when a strategy is not working for your family. Support should be done with your child and family—not to you.
Children have many opportunities to learn and practise skills between appointments. Families, carers, educators and other important people can help make these opportunities part of everyday life.
Your practitioner should provide practical strategies that fit naturally into your child’s routines, activities and play. They can also work with educators and other people in your child’s life to build a consistent approach.
This should help the people around your child feel more confident supporting their development without making every moment feel like therapy.
Your child’s strengths, needs and interests will change as they grow and experience new environments.
Their support should be reviewed regularly and adjusted when needed. This might mean changing a strategy, focusing on a new goal or bringing in additional expertise.
A support plan should not remain unchanged simply because it was suitable when your child started.
Progress in early childhood is not always immediate or predictable. Development can happen gradually, and there may be periods when change feels slower.
Small steps can still show that support is making a difference. Your child might join an activity for a few more minutes, communicate a choice in a new way or complete one part of a routine with less assistance.
Recognising these changes can help you see how your child’s skills, confidence and participation are developing over time.
Progress should be measured against the outcomes that matter to your child and family—not only through assessments, reports or the number of appointments completed.
Your practitioner should work with you to identify what progress could look like in everyday life. Together, you can review what is changing, what remains difficult and whether the current approach is helping.
This might include discussing:
Progress reviews should help you understand what is changing and make informed decisions about your child’s support.
If you are unsure whether your child’s support is working, consider asking:
If you are not seeing the progress you expected, it does not mean your child has failed or that therapy cannot help.
Start by discussing your concerns with your practitioner. Your child’s goals may need to be clearer, the strategies may need to change or your family may need more support to use them in everyday situations.
You could ask for:
You have the right to ask questions and be involved in decisions about your child’s support.
At Everyday Independence, an early childhood key worker gets to know your child and family, understands your priorities and plans and delivers most of your child’s therapy. When additional expertise is needed, your key worker brings in occupational therapy, speech pathology, physiotherapy or other practitioners. This helps keep everyone focused on the same goals through one coordinated approach.
Support happens through everyday routines, relationships, activities and play at home, childcare, kindergarten, school and in the community.
Tell us about your child, what is important to your family and the changes you would like to achieve. Our team will explain how our early childhood supports work and help you understand the next steps.
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