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Therapy & support
What am I good at?
Every child is good at many things, and the best way to find your strengths is to keep playing, trying and noticing what makes you feel happy and proud. Strengths come in many shapes — words, building, sport, kindness, ideas — and grow stronger with practice. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat are alternatives to medication for ADHD?
Well-evidenced alternatives to ADHD medication include parent behaviour training, behavioural therapy for the child, structured routines and environment, sleep and exercise, and support for co-occurring learning or speech needs. Guidance often recommends these first in younger children; they can also complement medication. Any diagnosis or plan is set by a Pinnacle clinician.
Read the answer AnswerWhat are alternatives to medication for Autism Spectrum?
Autism has no medication that treats its core differences — support is therapy-led: speech therapy, occupational therapy, behavioural and developmental approaches, and parent coaching, started early and tailored to the child. Medication, when used, only addresses specific co-occurring issues like anxiety or sleep, under a doctor's care.
Read the answer AnswerWhat are alternatives to medication for Childhood Anxiety?
For most childhood anxiety, therapy and everyday support come first, not medication. Cognitive behavioural therapy, graded exposure, parent coaching, relaxation skills, routines, movement and good sleep build lasting coping skills. Medication is reserved for more severe cases under a doctor's care, and a clinical AbilityScore is established only at a Pinnacle centre.
Read the answer AnswerWhat are alternatives to medication for Childhood Epilepsy?
Medication is the first-line treatment for childhood epilepsy, but neurologists may also consider ketogenic dietary therapy, epilepsy surgery, or vagus nerve stimulation when seizures are hard to control. These are clinician-led decisions, never self-directed. Pinnacle supports development — speech, learning, daily skills — alongside, never replacing, medical seizure care.
Read the answer AnswerAlternatives to medication for childhood sleep difficulties
For most children, behavioural sleep strategies — a consistent wind-down routine, a calm dark room, good daytime activity and gentle independent-settling techniques — are the first and most effective approach, not medication. Medication is rarely a first step and is considered only by a doctor for specific situations. Persistent problems, snoring or daytime impact warrant a clinical check.
Read the answer AnswerWhat are alternatives to medication for Conduct-Dissocial Disorder?
For Conduct-Dissocial Disorder, psychosocial therapies are first-line, not medication. The strongest alternatives are parent-training programmes, child-focused skills work in problem-solving and emotion regulation, and coordinated family and school support. Medication is reserved for specific situations such as severe aggression or co-occurring conditions, under clinician care.
Read the answer AnswerWhat are alternatives to medication for Oppositional Defiant Disorder?
The best-evidenced alternatives to medication for Oppositional Defiant Disorder are behavioural and family-based: parent training in behaviour management, child-focused emotional-regulation and social-skills work, and consistent home-and-school strategies. Medication is usually considered only for co-occurring conditions, not ODD itself. A clinical assessment and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle centre.
Read the answer AnswerWhat are alternatives to medication for Tourette Syndrome?
For many children with Tourette Syndrome the strongest non-medication support is behavioural therapy, especially CBIT (Comprehensive Behavioural Intervention for Tics), alongside better sleep, stress reduction, school accommodations and family education. Medication is usually reserved for tics that remain painful or disabling. Any plan begins with a clinician-led assessment at a Pinnacle centre.
Read the answer AnswerWhat Are Developmental Milestones?
Developmental milestones are the skills most children gain around similar ages across four areas — motor, speech and language, cognitive, and social-emotional. They are helpful signposts within a wide normal range, not a strict timetable. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat are good activities to develop a child's Adaptive skills?
Adaptive skills — the everyday self-care and daily-living abilities like dressing, feeding, toileting and tidying — are built best through playful, repeated practice woven into real daily routines, with tasks broken into small steps and effort celebrated. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat are good activities to develop a child's cognitive skills?
Cognitive skills grow best through playful everyday activities — sorting, stacking, puzzles, pretend play, memory games, shared storybooks and open-ended conversation that gently stretch a child's attention, memory and problem-solving. Follow the child's lead and add small challenges. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat are good activities to develop a child's Communication skills?
A child's communication skills grow best through warm, everyday back-and-forth play — following their lead, narrating the day, singing with pauses, reading together, turn-taking games and gently expanding what they say. Responsiveness is the golden thread. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerActivities to develop your child's emotional skills
Children's emotional skills grow through everyday play, warm conversation and repeated practice — naming feelings, reading stories about emotions, pretend play, turn-taking games, calm-down breathing and adults modelling their own regulation. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat are good activities to develop a child's Motor skills?
Motor skills grow through everyday playful movement — tummy time, crawling, climbing and ball play for gross motor, and stacking, scribbling and threading for fine motor — matched to a child's stage and repeated often. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat are good activities to develop a child's Sensory skills?
Sensory skills grow through playful, everyday experiences that engage touch, movement, balance, sound and more — messy play, swinging, heavy work, listening games and calm-down spaces all help the brain organise sensory information. Keep activities fun and child-led, and seek a check if strong avoidance or seeking disrupts daily life. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat are good activities to develop a child's Social skills?
Social skills grow best through person-to-person play — turn-taking games, pretend play, shared reading and small group activities backed by warm, responsive attention from parents. Follow the child's lead, keep it playful and celebrate small wins. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerDevelopmental Toys for 12-to-18-Month-Olds
Good toys for a 12-to-18-month-old are simple and open-ended — stacking cups, shape sorters, push-and-pull toys, board books and chunky blocks — used in shared, narrated play that grows movement, words, problem-solving and imitation. Everyday items work beautifully too, and safety means no small parts or button batteries. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat are good developmental toys for a 18-to-24-month-old?
The best developmental toys for an 18-to-24-month-old are simple and open-ended — chunky blocks, shape sorters, push-and-pull toys, pretend-play sets, board books and stacking cups — that build language, movement, problem-solving and imitation, with a caregiver playing alongside. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat are good developmental toys for a 2-year-old?
Good developmental toys for a 2-year-old are simple, open-ended things that build language, fine and gross motor skills, problem-solving and pretend play — chunky blocks, stacking cups, shape sorters, picture books, balls and a toy kitchen. The toy matters far less than the shared, back-and-forth play around it. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat are good developmental toys for a 3-to-6-month-old?
Good developmental toys for a 3-to-6-month-old are high-contrast, colourful, graspable and safely mouthable items — play gyms, soft rattles, cloth books, baby-safe mirrors, crinkle toys and teethers — that support visual tracking, reaching, tummy-time strength and listening. Toys with no small parts or strings are safest, and a parent's face and voice matter most. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat are good developmental toys for a 3-year-old?
Good developmental toys for a 3-year-old are simple and open-ended — building blocks, puzzles, play dough, pretend-play sets, threading beads, balls and picture books — chosen to build thinking, fine and gross motor skills, language and imagination. The richest play is unhurried play with you. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat are good developmental toys for a 4-year-old?
Good developmental toys for a 4-year-old are open-ended and hands-on — building blocks, puzzles, pretend-play sets, crayons and scissors, balls and tricycles, and shared picture books — chosen so the child controls the play. The richest play is unhurried time with a parent. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerGood Developmental Toys for a 5-Year-Old
Good developmental toys for a five-year-old are open-ended and skill-building — building blocks, pretend-play sets, simple board games, puzzles, art materials and active outdoor toys — that grow language, problem-solving, fine-motor, balance and social skills, with a parent playing alongside. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
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