Ask Pinnacle

Child-development knowledge.
For families everywhere.

Questions, explanations and sources for families and professionals.

Sign in to keep reading.

Use your Google account to continue.
No additional form.

Checking your sign-in…

Google shares your name, email and photo for your Pinnacle reader profile. Signing in does not book a visit or subscribe you to marketing.

Get Verified

Your number. Your Pinnacle connection.

Verify your WhatsApp number to add the magenta tick to your name and connect with Pinnacle from your profile.

Include your country code. We’ll send a six-digit verification code on WhatsApp. This does not subscribe you to marketing messages.

Privacy

The tick confirms your WhatsApp number is verified.

Pinnacle Blooms Network

ASK PINNACLE · QUESTIONS, EXPLANATIONS & NEXT STEPS

Parent

Explore explanations, everyday questions and next steps connected with parent.

25,073 published answers · English · Page 506

CHOOSE THE QUESTION THAT MATTERS NOW

Explore this topic, one useful question at a time.

The question links above are from this page. Topic groups can continue on later pages; the complete answer list and its pagination remain below.

Therapy & support

Answer

How feeding therapy helps with feeding and eating difficulties

Feeding therapy helps a child with feeding and eating difficulties by building the oral-motor skills of chewing and swallowing, using sensory-friendly low-pressure strategies to rebuild trust around food, and working alongside paediatric and dietitian care. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

Read the answer
Answer

Feeding therapy for hypotonia (low muscle tone)

For a child with hypotonia, feeding therapy strengthens and coordinates the mouth muscles used to chew and swallow, improves seating and posture, grades textures safely, paces meals to manage low stamina, and watches for swallowing safety — always alongside paediatric, physiotherapy and dietitian care. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

Read the answer
Answer

How can feeding therapy help a child with prematurity-related developmental risk?

Feeding therapy helps a premature child build safe suck–swallow–breathe coordination, oral-motor strength and sensory tolerance, and supports smooth transitions from tube or bottle to breast and solids, all alongside paediatric care. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

Read the answer
Answer

How can feeding therapy help a child with sensory-based feeding selectivity?

Feeding therapy helps a child with sensory-based feeding selectivity by gently expanding accepted foods through graded, playful sensory exposure, strengthening the oral-motor skills behind chewing and managing textures, and coaching calm, no-pressure mealtime routines. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

Read the answer
Answer

How Floortime (DIR) Therapy Helps a Child with Autism

Floortime (DIR®) helps a child with autism by building genuine two-way connection through child-led play, following the child's own interests and gently widening their circles of communication, shared attention and emotional expression. It is warm, relationship-based and works alongside speech and occupational therapy. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

Read the answer
Answer

How Floortime (DIR) Helps a Child with Global Developmental Delay

Floortime (DIR) helps a child with Global Developmental Delay through warm, play-led, relationship-based therapy that builds the foundations beneath every skill — shared attention, two-way communication, regulation and early thinking — by following the child's lead and coaching parents to weave it into daily life. It works best alongside speech, occupational and physiotherapy. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

Read the answer
Answer

How Floortime (DIR) Helps With Self-Regulation Difficulties

Floortime (DIR) therapy supports self-regulation by following a child's lead in warm, playful interactions and using back-and-forth connection to build emotional control from the inside out. It works with a child's sensory profile, gently stretches their tolerance for strong feelings, and coaches parents to turn everyday moments into regulation practice. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

Read the answer
Answer

How Floortime (DIR) Therapy Helps Social Communication

Floortime (DIR) therapy helps a child with social communication difficulties by following the child's own interests and emotions to build back-and-forth connection through play, strengthening shared attention, gesturing and the foundations of conversation within warm relationships. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

Read the answer
Answer

How can group therapy help a child with ADHD?

Group therapy helps a child with ADHD practise turn-taking, listening, social cues, self-regulation and staying with tasks in a safe, structured peer setting with kind, immediate coaching — building skills that carry over to school and home. It works best alongside parent coaching and any medical care. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

Read the answer
Answer

How can group therapy help a child with Autism Spectrum?

Group therapy helps a child on the autism spectrum practise real social skills — turn-taking, joint attention, reading faces and tone, and conversation — in a small, supported peer setting where these skills are actually needed. Peer modelling, confidence and generalisation of skills are key benefits, and group therapy works best alongside individual therapy. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

Read the answer
Answer

How can group therapy help a child with Childhood Anxiety?

Group therapy helps a child with childhood anxiety by offering a safe peer circle where they practise brave behaviour, learn calming skills together, and discover other children worry too — reducing shame and building confidence. It often works best alongside individual support and parent guidance. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

Read the answer
Answer

How group therapy helps with social communication difficulties

Group therapy helps a child with social communication difficulties by offering a safe, structured space to practise turn-taking, reading faces and tone, holding conversations and making friends — with real peers and a guiding therapist, so skills carry over to school and home. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

Read the answer
Answer

How can I apply for subsidised or free therapy at Pinnacle?

The Pinnacle SEVA programme ensures cost is never the reason a child waits for therapy. Visit any Pinnacle Blooms Network centre, begin with a clinician assessment, and ask the team about SEVA support — subsidised, fee-relief or scholarship-supported therapy is discussed privately and with dignity.

Read the answer
Answer

How can I build Behaviour readiness in my child?

Behaviour readiness is built through predictable routines, naming and coaching feelings, praising wanted behaviour, kind consistent limits, and teaching small calming tools, all modelled by a warm, regulated caregiver. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

Read the answer
Answer

How can I build Cognitive readiness in my child?

Cognitive readiness is built through everyday play, conversation, reading and routines that grow attention, memory, reasoning and problem-solving, supported by responsive caregiving. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

Read the answer
Answer

How can I build Mainstream readiness in my child?

Mainstream readiness is built by steadily growing classroom-relevant skills — communication, attention and routine, social turn-taking, self-regulation and small independence — practised in real settings while home and school work as one team. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

Read the answer
Answer

How can I build motor readiness in my child?

Motor readiness grows through playful, repeated everyday movement — tummy time, climbing, ball games and fine-motor play like stacking and threading that build strength, balance and coordination. Little and often, child-led and fun, works best. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

Read the answer
Answer

How can I build my child's behaviour readiness at home?

Build behaviour readiness at home through predictable routines, warm connection, clear simple expectations, and calm responses to big feelings — because behaviour is communication and a child who feels safe cooperates more readily. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

Read the answer
Answer

How can I build my child's cognitive readiness at home?

Cognitive readiness is built at home through everyday play, rich conversation, shared reading and predictable routines rather than drills or screens — these grow attention, memory, problem-solving and early reasoning. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

Read the answer
Answer

How can I build my child's mainstream readiness at home?

Build mainstream readiness at home by gently growing five everyday foundations: following instructions, sitting and attending, communicating needs, managing transitions and self-care, and playing with other children — through warm, playful, consistent daily practice rather than formal academics. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

Read the answer
Answer

How can I build my child's motor readiness at home?

You can build your child's motor readiness at home through everyday play that invites movement — floor time, climbing, reaching and grasping games — practised at your child's own pace without pressure. Gross-motor play builds strength and balance while fine-motor play builds hand skills. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

Read the answer
Answer

How can I build my child's school readiness at home?

School readiness is built at home through everyday play, conversation, shared reading, fine-motor activities, independence in self-care, emotional turn-taking and a predictable routine — not academic drilling. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

Read the answer
Answer

How can I build my child's self-sufficiency readiness at home?

Self-sufficiency readiness is built at home by handing children small, achievable responsibilities in dressing, eating, tidying and decision-making, supported by predictable routines, patience and step-by-step practice. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

Read the answer
Answer

How can I build my child's speech readiness at home?

Speech readiness is built at home through warm, responsive everyday interaction — narrating routines, following your child's lead, pausing to invite turns, singing, reading daily and honouring gestures and babble. The goal is connection and back-and-forth, not drilling words. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

Read the answer