Champion Centre
PICTURE THIS Lauren Porter is the Clinical Director at the early intervention clinic, the Champion Centre in Christchurch and explains how a simple activity can be vital in the early development of a young person with an intellectual disability. What do you see when you look at two-year-old Louis painting at the easel? An adorable child? A toddler at play? A creative spark? A fun activity? Yes. All those things are in the picture. Within an early intervention program like the Champion Centre, we would like you to see more. There is a picture behind the picture. That background holds a hidden world of neuroscience, child development, relationship-building, sensory experience and scaffolding to achieve motoric milestones. Play is a child’s work. Play creates meaning and learning. Play is central to brain development and is so important that it is recognized as a fundamental childhood right by the UN High Commission. According to paediatricians, scientists and child development specialists, play allows children
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to use their creativity in service of developing physical dexterity, imagination, emotional balance, and cognitive skills. Play allows children direct access to the world around them in a way they can both explore and master. Child-driven play creates a way for children to follow their passions while making new discoveries and enjoyment of their world. In the first years of life, physical development is a significant foundation for ongoing growth and learning. This coincides with a burgeoning social and emotional world that is linked to the relationships in a child’s life. From birth, learning is a process of scaffolding a child’s needs. In other words, learning is about providing support for the child to take the next step toward something they can almost do in a way that allows them to do it on their own.
