Every child is unique – unique in the way s/he develops and grows. A child’s development from baby to toddler, from child to teenager from teenager to adult usually follows an expected pattern. Sometimes this pattern of development is delayed. The delay may be mild or severe.

How would you know if your child’s development is significantly delayed?

You may have been aware that your child had a difficulty from an early age. He may not have reached the motor milestones as expected. He may never have crawled.

Your child may only use babbles to communicate, or be stuck using one word sentences, rather than stringing two and three words together, progressing to full sentences. You may understand your child perfectly but other people who do not spend much time with him have great difficulty making out what he is trying to say. Your child may have a Speech and Language delay.

Other children will have spoken a few words for a short time and then stopped speaking, or may never have spoken at all.

Having little or no language often causes a lot of frustration, because they can’t communicate, some of these children withdraw into their own little world. They may also wander around aimlessly and alone. They may not play as other children do and are often seen repeatedly spinning the wheels of a toy train or car, not learning to push it along in the way children usually do. Some of these children may be said to have Autism or Asperger’s Syndrome.

Your child may be constantly moving and fidgeting, unable to concentrate on any one activity for more than a few seconds. He’s unable to listen or follow instructions, constantly forgetting what he is supposed to be doing. He may be thought to suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD).

Other children may have great difficulty reading and be considered Dyslexic. They may be unable to read at all, or when reading they may leave out the little words, confuse letters such as “b” and “d” or words such as “was” and “saw”. Some children with a reading difficulty don’t see the endings of words such as “ed” and “s”.

Many of the children we have already spoken of frequently have poor muscle tone, balance or co-ordination. They may be clumsy or awkward. Learning to ride a bicycle may be impossible for them. Physical games and activities are avoided.

The beginning of every day can be very stressful for all involved, as these children often have great difficulty dressing themselves or tying their shoe laces. Later in the day, holding a crayon for colouring, or a pencil for writing can prove very difficult. Some of these difficulties may be signs of Dyspraxia.

Cluas Programmes are delivered through specialized sound equipment using classical music and active microphone work. The programme will improve any developmental delay, help re-awaken your child’s desire to communicate and hence improve the quality and happiness of your child’s life. The children we work with are those with developmental disorders such as:

• Asperger’s Syndrome
• Autistic Spectrum Disorders
• Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
• Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD)
• Speech and Language Disorders
• Dyspraxia
• Dyslexia and Specific Learning Difficulties.
• Auditory Processing Difficulties.