CHILD DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT

Individualized Pathways – We recognize that each child develops according to their own unique timeline and pattern. Rather than focusing solely on standardized milestones, we look at your child’s overall developmental trajectory and individual strengths. Development occurs along a spectrum, with ranges of “typical” for each milestone, and slight variations from average timetables are usually normal.

Whole-Child Perspective – Development doesn’t happen in isolation. Physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development are interconnected, and our approach addresses this whole-child perspective. We look more deeply at potential nutritional, environmental, and structural factors that may affect development, offering a wider range of natural support strategies than conventional providers.

Foundation-Building Focus – Early development creates the foundation for future health and abilities. We focus on supporting strong developmental foundations through nutrition, movement, sensory integration, and appropriate stimulation. We support optimization for all children, not just those with concerns.

Natural Support Methods – We use gentle, natural approaches to support optimal development, addressing challenges with the least invasive interventions appropriate for each situation. Our approach includes nutritional support, environmental optimization, natural remedies, osteopathic treatment, and developmental activities.

Parent Partnership – Parents are the most important influences in a child’s development. We partner with families, providing education, support, and practical strategies for nurturing development at home. We emphasize collaboration and adapt our recommendations to each family’s needs, spending time educating parents about developmental processes and home-based support.

Collaborative Care – We often collaborate with speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and educational specialists. Our natural approach complements these specialized services, and we’re happy to coordinate care with your child’s other providers.

Initial Comprehensive Assessment – Our developmental evaluations include detailed developmental history, milestone assessment, observation of skills and interactions, parent input and concerns, and coordination with other providers when appropriate. We discuss your child’s specific developmental trajectory and identify whether any areas may benefit from additional support.

Individualized Support Plan Development – Based on assessment findings, we develop personalized support strategies that may include nutritional support addressing breastfeeding, brain-supporting nutrients, food sensitivities that may affect behavior and development, digestive health optimization, targeted supplementation when appropriate, and practical feeding strategies; environmental optimization including sensory-friendly space recommendations, appropriate stimulation guidance, screen time management, toxin reduction strategies, and sleep environment optimization; and natural remedies when appropriate including herbal supports for cognitive function, homeopathic remedies, appropriate supplementation, and anthroposophical remedies.

Osteopathic Treatment – Dr. Brousseau offers gentle osteopathic manipulative treatment to support cranial development, neurological function, structural balance, sensory integration, and physical milestone achievement.

Developmental Activities Guidance – We provide guidance on age-appropriate activities that support specific developmental skills, play-based learning strategies, movement activities for neurological development, sensory integration exercises, and parent-child interaction techniques.

Ongoing Monitoring and Support – The frequency of visits depends on your child’s specific needs and the nature of any developmental concerns. Initially, we typically recommend appointments every 4-6 weeks to establish and refine your child’s support plan. As progress is made, visits may become less frequent, with periodic check-ins to monitor development. We provide educational materials about developmental stages, practical tools for supporting development at home, developmental monitoring guidance, community resource referrals when specialized services are needed, and ongoing consultation to address concerns as they arise.