Specialized Facility Securing the Golden Time for Healthy Development through Early Detection and Rapid Intervention of Disabilities in Children... Equipped with Counseling Rooms, Testing Rooms, Meeting Rooms, and Introducing Seocho-gu's Unique Programs
[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] A new public system that enables experts to meticulously diagnose disabilities in infants and toddlers?difficult for parents to detect early?and systematically connect to developmental coaching programs is being established in Seocho-gu.
Seocho-gu (Mayor Eunhee Jo) announced that it will open the first-ever local child disability support center in the country, the ‘Seocho Child Development Center,’ on the 28th to prevent the risk of disabilities in infants and toddlers and support healthy development.
Although the birth rates of high-risk groups such as premature infants and low birth weight babies continue to rise, many unfortunate cases miss the golden time for treatment due to a lack of prior awareness and knowledge.
Recognizing this issue, the district has been operating the ‘Early Intervention Service for Premature Infants’ targeting children under 3 years old since 2016. With the opening of the ‘Seocho Child Development Center,’ the support target will be expanded, and the programs will be professionally and meticulously developed and operated.
The early intervention service at the Seocho Child Development Center will gradually expand to children up to 6 years old. It will provide professional diagnosis and developmental programs not only for high-risk newborns but also for children in the borderline category who do not achieve normal development. The detailed programs are mainly composed of ▲Child Development Coaching ▲Cortical Visual Impairment Evaluation and Support Program ▲‘Seocho Early Intervention First Step’.
First, the Child Development Coaching program supports healthy growth and development (motor skills, cognition, socio-emotional skills, communication, and self-help skills) education for infants and toddlers under 6 years old. Seven child development experts, including special early childhood teachers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and social workers, visit homes and daycare centers to provide coaching.
The ‘Cortical Visual Impairment Evaluation and Support Program’ targets infants and toddlers suspected of cortical visual impairment due to brain injury, cerebral palsy, infantile spasms, or prematurity. It evaluates the condition of the cerebral cortex and coaches visual development in daily life. This is a specialized program uniquely operated by Seocho-gu nationwide.
Lastly, the ‘Seocho Early Intervention First Step’ program, expanded from under 30 months to under 36 months with the center’s opening, targets premature infants (born before 37 weeks gestation or weighing less than 2.5 kg) residing in the district. Experts visit the families to support the child’s developmental promotion and provide regular coaching to parents. Over the past three years, 227 premature children have received early intervention services, greatly aiding their overall developmental process.
A mother of a child who participated in this program said, “Until now, there was no place to get information or help, so I relied on mom cafes and similar communities,” adding, “With the opening of the Seocho Child Development Center, I feel reassured and supported by the systematic help from experts.”
Additionally, the center plans to offer various parent education programs on brain development, parental stress management, temperament, and more to strengthen the development of disabled and at-risk infants and toddlers and their family capabilities.
To further expand early intervention policies for disabled and at-risk infants and toddlers, the district enacted the ‘Seocho-gu Ordinance on Developmental Support for Disabled and At-Risk Infants and Toddlers’ in May, establishing a legal basis. Since then, it has devoted considerable effort to preparing for the center’s establishment through consultations with experts and related organizations on policy directions and project items.
Going forward, the district plans to form a network with local hospitals and related institutions to provide specialized support for premature or at-risk children, expecting the ‘Seocho Child Development Center’ to become a hub for discovering various projects and policies for them.
The center is located at 10, Gangnam-daero 49-gil, Seocho-gu, within a 10-minute walk from Yangjae Station on Subway Line 3 and Gangnam Station on Subway Line 2, offering excellent transportation and accessibility. It covers a total floor area of 70㎡ and includes counseling rooms, examination rooms, meeting rooms, and offices.
Seocho-gu Mayor Eunhee Jo stated, “The infant and toddler period is the most critical time to detect disabilities early. Through services where experts carefully observe and intervene early, we plan to protect the golden time and ensure no child is neglected due to lack of awareness,” adding, “I hope the ‘Seocho Child Development Center’ becomes a model that fills the blind spots of the public child support system and meets the needs of vulnerable groups, creating a society where all children grow up bright, healthy, and strong.”
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