Northcott’s Early Childhood Service helped prepare Chloe for a smooth start at school
Chloe
Thanks to support from Northcott’s NDIS Early Childhood Service in Northern Sydney, Chloe had a positive start to school.
Chloe’s parents were referred to Northcott’s NDIS Early Childhood team when she started displaying disruptive behaviours at preschool.
“Chloe is a natural born leader. She loves to take control and charge,” says her mum, Sarah. “She’s very creative and very articulate. Before she went to preschool, her daycare centre never had any issues, and we didn’t see anything at home. That’s why it was quite a surprise when the preschool spoke to us.”
Concerning behaviours
Chloe started having issues at preschool, particularly at drop-off and between activities.
“She would get upset once we left, and then it would be hard to regulate her emotions. She’s also a perfectionist so when she thought she couldn’t do something well, she would get really upset,” Sarah explains.
Support from a Northcott Early Childhood Coordinator
The Inclusion Officer at Chloe’s preschool referred Sarah to Northcott where she connected to Ruth Griffin, one of our Early Childhood Coordinators.
With just a few months until Chloe was due to start school Ruth worked with Sarah to put a tailored Early Supports program in place. The goal was to give Chloe the skills she needed to get the best start at school. Northcott completed assessments with Chloe’s preschool teachers and arranged for an occupational therapist to evaluate her social and physical skills.
“The support that Northcott was able to give was so helpful. I really appreciate it.”
– Sarah, Chloe’s mum
Chloe with her mum Sarah
“The occupational therapist worked with Chloe on skills such as her pencil grip to give her better control of her hands and make writing easier. She helped her learn ways to be able to colour-in that would build her confidence,” Sarah says. “She also gave us strategies we could use at home.”
Sarah and Chloe worked with Ruth on role playing to practice social skills like negotiating, turn taking, and sharing. Ruth also gave Sarah recommendations for paediatricians in the area and connected her with a local school readiness program.
“Participating in the Transition to School program with other kids allowed Chloe to work on social skills as well as build her confidence in cutting, pasting and how to use her schoolbook. The kids also played games that involved turn taking and leadership,” Sarah recalls.
A positive first day
When the first day at school rolled around, Sarah said Chloe was confident right from the start.
“She’s doing really well and is engaged in the classroom. She has a good relationship with her teacher, and we’ve been able to work closely with the school to make sure we are all using the same language,” Sarah says.
“The support that Northcott was able to give was so helpful. I really appreciate it. It has been useful in building my husband and I’s confidence in how we can help Chloe with different tools and techniques. We’re so proud of how she is progressing.”
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