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Special Education
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Therapy & support
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Therapy & support
What makes not following instructions worse in a child?
Not following instructions usually gets worse when instructions are too long, fast or wordy, when there are distractions, tiredness or big feelings, or when hearing, language comprehension or attention need a closer look — rather than from wilful defiance. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat mobility aids or supports help a child with Developmental Coordination Disorder?
Most children with Developmental Coordination Disorder do not need traditional mobility aids; they benefit far more from adaptive equipment and environmental adjustments — stable seating, supportive footwear, easy-grip tools and well-organised spaces — chosen by an occupational or physiotherapist to reduce effort and build independence. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat mobility aids or supports help a child with Down Syndrome?
Children with Down Syndrome benefit from physiotherapy-led strengthening and balance work, supportive footwear and orthotics such as SMOs or AFOs for loose ankles, supportive seating and standing equipment, and temporary walking supports — all chosen by a physiotherapist for the individual child. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat mobility aids or supports help a child with Fine Motor Delay?
Fine motor delay is supported mainly through adaptive tools and occupational therapy rather than mobility aids — chunky grips, stable seating, easy-grip utensils, non-slip surfaces and hand-strengthening play tools help small hands work more easily. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerMobility Aids & Supports for Children with Genetic Syndromes
Children with genetic or chromosomal syndromes are supported by mobility aids matched to their individual needs — supportive seating and standers, walkers and gait trainers, orthoses such as ankle-foot braces, wheelchairs, and home or school adaptations — all chosen and reviewed by a physiotherapy and occupational-therapy team as the child grows. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat mobility aids or supports help a child with Gross Motor Delay?
Children with gross motor delay are supported by a mix of mobility aids — supportive seating, standers, walkers and gait trainers, orthoses, supportive footwear and sometimes wheelchairs — always alongside physiotherapy that builds strength, balance and posture. Aids are matched to the child's stage and goals to make movement safer and open up play and independence. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat mobility aids or supports help a child with Hypotonia?
Children with hypotonia are supported through positioning aids like supportive seating and standing frames, mobility aids such as posterior walkers, gait trainers and ankle-foot orthoses, and strengthening physiotherapy that builds core and limb strength so reliance on aids reduces over time. The right combination is matched by a physiotherapist or occupational therapist to where a child needs help and reviewed as they grow. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat mobility aids or supports help a child with Motor Planning Difficulties?
Motor planning difficulties are best supported with stability aids, simplifying adaptive tools (elastic fastenings, grips, slope boards), visual and verbal step-by-step scaffolds, and small home and school tweaks that reduce the planning load while skills are built — most children do not need mobility equipment. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat mobility aids or supports help a child with Persistent Toe-Walking?
Persistent toe-walking is supported by combining therapy with practical aids: firm supportive footwear, ankle-foot orthoses, night splints, and sometimes short-term serial casting, alongside daily calf-stretching and strengthening. The right mix depends on why the child toe-walks and how flexible the ankle is. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat mobility aids or supports help a child with Prematurity-Related Developmental Risk?
Mobility supports for prematurity-related developmental risk are matched to a child's current needs — from positioning aids and supportive seating to standers, gait trainers, AFOs, walkers or wheelchairs — always alongside paediatric physiotherapy and reviewed as the child grows. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat mobility aids or supports help a child with Rett Syndrome?
Children with Rett Syndrome are supported with mobility aids chosen by a physiotherapist and occupational therapist — including gait trainers, walkers, standing frames, ankle-foot orthoses, supportive seating and adapted wheelchairs — to keep them upright, moving and comfortable while protecting posture, joints and bone health. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat other behaviours often occur with cannot sit still?
Children who cannot sit still often also show difficulty sustaining attention, impulsivity, constant fidgeting, restlessness at quiet times, and strong fast-rising emotions — because movement, attention and self-regulation develop together. These are descriptions, not a label. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat other behaviours often occur with lining up toys?
Lining up toys often appears alongside sorting and categorising, repetitive or routine play, intense visual focus, distress when arrangements change, and strong focused interests. On its own it is usually a healthy way to explore order; what matters is the whole picture of play, communication and connection. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat other behaviours often occur with Not Following Instructions?
Not following instructions rarely occurs alone — it commonly travels with attention and listening differences, language-understanding gaps, restlessness or impulsivity, big reactions to transitions, and difficulty with multi-step routines. Recognising which behaviours cluster together helps a clinician understand the underlying reason and shape support. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat play activities boost my child's cognitive development?
Cognitive development is boosted by active, shared, child-led play — peekaboo and hiding games for memory, blocks and stacking for problem-solving, sorting and matching for early thinking, pretend play for imagination, and rich back-and-forth talk. The magic is serve-and-return: follow your child's interest and stretch it gently. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat progress can a child with ADHD make with special education?
Children with ADHD can make real progress with special education — improving attention, organisation, impulse control, confidence and school performance through strategies matched to how their attention works, delivered as part of a team alongside family and medical care. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat progress can a child with Autism Spectrum make with special education?
With well-matched, individualised special education, most children on the autism spectrum make meaningful progress in communication, learning, daily independence, social connection and emotional regulation — progress depends on the child's profile and consistency across home and school, and early support tends to bring the strongest gains. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat progress can a child with Autism make with the TEACCH approach?
The TEACCH approach helps many children on the autism spectrum make steady progress in independence, understanding daily routines, communication and reduced anxiety by making the world visual, structured and predictable. Progress varies by child and is strongest when structure is personalised and used consistently across home and school. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat progress can a child with dyscalculia make with remedial education?
Most children with dyscalculia make real, lasting progress with consistent, multisensory remedial education that builds number sense, teaches reliable strategies and reduces maths anxiety. Dyscalculia is a processing difference, not a sign of low intelligence, and outcomes are best with early, tailored support. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat progress can a child with Dyscalculia make with special education?
Children with dyscalculia can make real progress through structured, multisensory special education — building number sense, mastering functional maths like money and time, learning strategies, and easing maths anxiety. Progress is skill-by-skill and confidence-by-confidence rather than overnight. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat progress can a child with dysgraphia make with remedial education?
Children with dysgraphia can make real, lasting progress with remedial education that explicitly teaches handwriting, spelling and the planning behind writing, alongside tools such as typing and speech-to-text and confidence-building support. Progress is steady and strongest when school, home and a specialist educator work together. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat progress can a child with dysgraphia make with special education?
With explicit, structured special education and the right accommodations, children with dysgraphia can make steady progress in handwriting legibility, writing speed and stamina, and getting their ideas onto the page — alongside a big lift in confidence. Progress is gradual and layered, and tools like typing and speech-to-text let a child show what they know while skills develop. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat progress can a child with dyslexia make with remedial education?
Children with dyslexia make real, lasting progress with structured, multisensory remedial education — improving decoding, fluency, spelling, comprehension and, above all, confidence. Earlier and more consistent support brings stronger gains, and many children go on to read fluently and thrive. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat progress can a child with Dyslexia make with special education?
Children with dyslexia can make substantial, lasting progress with structured, explicit, multisensory special education — improving phonological skills, decoding accuracy, fluency, comprehension and confidence, especially when support starts early and is tailored to the child. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
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