Search Results for "Children's health and development"

Managing your health We've created health advice and resources to help you confidently manage health conditions at home. Browse our expert guidance on self-care - tailored to your specific needs - and practical support to start seeing the benefits to your wellbeing and independence. Feeding difficulty resources Your baby and you Eating, allergies, and healthy lifestyle

Parents and young people Explore health advice, mental wellbeing resources, and support tailored especially for parents and young people. Tailored advice

Children and young people See below for further advice tailored to children and young people around communication and hearing. Communication and hearing

Overview Explore advice and resources to help you understand behaviours, feelings and look after your mental and emotional wellbeing. This information is designed for children and young people. Resources for adults will be added soon. Guidance for young people from the #CopingGuides series has information about local services and national helplines. There's advice for family life, wellbeing of primary and secondary school aged children, and specific resources for young people. East Berkshire also have this guide to early help and mental wellbeing support available in the area.

Guidance for every stage of your child’s development [ADHD and autism for children and young people Information about ADHD and autism and support for daily life.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice-and-resources/adhd-and-autism-for-children-and-young-people) [Communication and hearing Resources to help your child speak, listen, and learn.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice-and-resources/childrens-health-and-development/communication-and-hearing) [Child safety Guidance to help keep children safe.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/child-safety) [Eating, allergies, and healthy lifestyle Exploring new foods and healthy habits, and managing allergies.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice-and-resources/childrens-health-and-development/eating-allergies-and-healthy-lifestyle) [Fine motor skills Encouraging skills for writing, dressing, and play.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice-and-resources/childrens-health-and-development/fine-motor-skills) [Gross motor skills Supporting physical skills like crawling, walking and jumping](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice-and-resources/childrens-health-and-development/gross-motor-skills) [Immunisations What you need to know about vaccines.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/childrens-immunisations) [Independence and school readiness Encouraging confidence and independence.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice-and-resources/childrens-health-and-development/independence-and-school-readiness) [Mental and emotional wellbeing Coping with stress, low mood, and grief, plus where to get help and support others.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice-and-resources/mental-and-emotional-wellbeing) [Sensory processing Helping your child manage sensory experiences.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice-and-resources/childrens-health-and-development/sensory-processing) [School health information Supporting your child’s health throughout their school years.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice-and-resources/childrens-health-and-development/school-health-information) [Toilet training and bedwetting Practical tips for toilet training and bedwetting.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice-and-resources/childrens-health-and-development/toilet-training-and-bedwetting) [Looking after your baby and yourself Supporting you and your child through every stage of their development.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice-and-resources/childrens-health-and-development/your-baby-and-you) [What is SEND? Information, and local support for families managing special educational needs and disabilities.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/special-educational-needs-and-disabilities)

Encouraging confidence and independence [The journey to school Support your child to develop the skills needed for school.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/independence-and-school-readiness/the-journey-to-school) [Paying attention Some children have difficulty focusing, making it much harder to learn.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/independence-and-school-readiness/paying-attention) [Organisation and planning skills Poor organisational skills can make it difficult to develop independence.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/independence-and-school-readiness/organisation-and-planning-skills) [Switching tasks (transitioning) Some children find it difficult to settle or cope with moving to a different task or room.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/independence-and-school-readiness/switching-tasks) [Dressing skills Problems getting dressed due to movement or learning difficulties.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/independence-and-school-readiness/dressing-skills) [Buttons and zips Help your child learn to open and close buttons and zips.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/independence-and-school-readiness/buttons-and-zips) [Putting on shoes and socks Some children put their socks on the wrong way around or shoes on the wrong foot.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/independence-and-school-readiness/putting-on-shoes-and-socks)

Supporting your child’s health throughout their school years [General health and development Find information to support your child's health and development.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/general-child-health-and-development) [Continence Information about night-time and daytime wetting and constipation.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/continence-in-children) [Immunisations If children are not fully vaccinated, they're at risk of catching diseases.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/immunisations-for-children) [Healthy weight and keeping active Maintaining a healthy weight and staying active increases a child’s overall health.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/healthy-weight-and-keeping-active-in-childhood) [Sleep Sleep is so important for a child's development and learning.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/sleep-in-childhood) [Speech development Concerns with your child's speech, such as difficulty with pronunciation or understanding.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/communication-and-hearing/speech-development) [The Healthy Child Programme A national programme offering screening, immunisation information, support, and advice.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/the-healthy-child-programme)

Looking after your baby and yourself [3-6 month old baby advice Your baby is growing fast and you might feel like there is a lot to learn.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/your-baby-and-you/3-6-month-old-baby-advice) [6-9 month old baby advice Information about the health and development of your baby.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/your-baby-and-you/6-9-month-old-baby-advice) [Antenatal advice Information and resources for you to explore during your pregnancy.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/your-baby-and-you/antenatal-advice) [Attachment Attachment difficulties can develop when early bonding is interrupted.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/your-baby-and-you/attachment) [Babbling and baby talk Babies start learning about language and communication from birth.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/your-baby-and-you/babbling-and-baby-talk) [Bonding with your new baby Building a relationship will help your baby develop emotional wellbeing.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/your-baby-and-you/bonding-with-your-new-baby) [Bottle feeding Bottle feeding with is a great way for your partner to get involved.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/your-baby-and-you/bottle-feeding) [Breastfeeding Breast milk is the perfect food for your baby for the first 6 months of their life.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/your-baby-and-you/breastfeeding) [Citizenship and access to healthcare Being born in the UK does not automatically give British citizenship.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/your-baby-and-you/citizenship-and-access-to-healthcare) [Clubfoot Some babies' feet are squashed into an abnormal position in the womb.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/your-baby-and-you/clubfoot) [Crying Your response to their crying is very important for meeting their basic needs.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/your-baby-and-you/crying) [Developing rolling and sitting Rolling and sitting allows exploring and helps other areas of development.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/your-baby-and-you/developing-rolling-and-sitting) [Dummies Dummies can be a controversial topic for many.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/your-baby-and-you/dummies) [Health Visiting clinics Get your baby weighed and support and advice from health visitors.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/health-visiting-clinics) [Nurseries from Berkshire Healthcare Nursery places for children of employees or in the local area.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/your-baby-and-you/nurseries-from-berkshire-healthcare) [Postnatal depression advice A type of depression that many parents experience.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/your-baby-and-you/postnatal-depression) [Toddler talk Parents and carers are very important in developing a child's language.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/your-baby-and-you/toddler-talk) [Tummy time It's important to lay your baby on their tummy and encourage them to lift their head.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/your-baby-and-you/tummy-time) [Typical development Why children develop at different rates, and how you can help.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/your-baby-and-you/typical-development)

Resources to help your child speak, listen and learn [Auditory processing Auditory processing is essential in the development of language skills.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/communication-and-hearing/auditory-processing) [Babbling and baby talk Your baby will start learning how to communicate as soon as they’re born.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/communication-and-hearing/babbling-and-baby-talk) [Basic communication strategies Everyone involved in a child’s life can play a part in developing communication skills.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/communication-and-hearing/basic-communication-strategies) [Deafness and hearing loss Deafness can be a permanent or temporary condition, and can be caused by a range of factors.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/communication-and-hearing/deafness-and-hearing-loss) [English as an additional language Advice for raising children to speak two or more languages.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/communication-and-hearing/english-as-an-additional-language) [Expressive language Expressive language is the way we form sentences to express meaning.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/communication-and-hearing/expressive-language) [Grammar Grammar is the name given to our rules of language and how we structure it.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/communication-and-hearing/grammar) [Helping children with unclear speech It’s important to respond to what the child says, not to how clearly they speak.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/communication-and-hearing/helping-children-with-unclear-speech) [Listening and attention at school Listening and attention are skills that have to be developed, much like walking and talking.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/communication-and-hearing/listening-and-attention-at-school) [Sequencing and narrative skills Sequencing is the ability to put ideas into the right chronological order.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/communication-and-hearing/sequencing-and-narrative-skills) [Social communication (pragmatics) Pragmatics describes the way we understand and use language and communication.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/communication-and-hearing/social-communication-pragmatics) [Speech development Concerns with your child's speech, such as difficulty with pronunciation or understanding.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/communication-and-hearing/speech-development) [Speech sounds Speech is a series of sounds which are used together to form words and sentences.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/communication-and-hearing/speech-sounds) [Stammering advice Many young children will often stutter while they’re learning to speak.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/communication-and-hearing/stammering) [Steps to talking Children usually take similar steps in building up their vocabulary.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/communication-and-hearing/steps-to-talking) [Toddler talk Children learn language best from the people around them talking.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/communication-and-hearing/toddler-talk) [Typical speech sound development Children develop speech sounds over time, with words gradually sounding more like the adult version.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/communication-and-hearing/typical-speech-sound-development) [Understanding language Understanding and processing language is the ability to understand the words.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/communication-and-hearing/understanding-language) [Vocabulary Our vocabulary is made up of words that we understand and can use in a correct and meaningful way.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/communication-and-hearing/vocabulary)

How we can help [Early years development Problems that affect how a baby or young child grows, learns, or develops.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/conditions-and-services/children-and-young-people-s-health/early-years-development) [Mental health and emotional wellbeing Mood, thinking, and behaviour problems that can start in childhood.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/conditions-and-services/children-and-young-people-s-health/mental-health-and-emotional-wellbeing-in-children-and-young-people) [Neurodevelopmental needs that present in childhood Differences in brain development that may affect behaviour.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/conditions-and-services/children-and-young-people-s-health/neurodevelopmental-conditions) [Physical health needs that present in childhood Health issues that affect how muscles, bones, or organs work.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/conditions-and-services/children-and-young-people-s-health/physical-health-conditions) [Speech, language, and communication Problems that can affect a child's ability to communicate.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/conditions-and-services/children-and-young-people-s-health/speech-language-and-communication) [Learning Disability Services Information and support for people with learning disabilities and their families.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/learning-disability-services) [What is SEND? Information, and local support for families managing special educational needs and disabilities.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/special-educational-needs-and-disabilities)

If something doesn’t feel quite right, maybe there are changes in eating, behaviour, or general health. It’s always a good idea to speak to your GP or health visitor. Some schools have a nursing team, and they can offer support if needed. Once you’ve talked things through, you’ll be pointed in the right direction. Sometimes extra help is needed, and one of our services might be the next step. You can find more information about those services below.

We provide specialist healthcare for children in East Berkshire who have long-term conditions that affect their development. Our service supports: children from infancy to around 16 years in mainstream schools young people up to 19 who attend one of the three East Berkshire local authority special schools. We provide: medical assessments diagnosis of conditions treatment and support. We run specialist clinics that focus on the needs of each child, and support children with developmental difficulties and disabilities. We also carry out statutory medical assessments for: child protection children in care Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) for children up to the age of 18.

We offer health and development checks for babies and children as part of the Healthy Child Programme. We will let you know the date and time of your appointment and send you a text reminder. If you need to cancel or change your appointment, please tell us as soon as you can.

We lead the 5 to 19 element of the Healthy Child Programme and work closely with schools, health visitors, GP’s, paediatricians and local services. The Healthy Child Programme is a national programme that gives every family support through screening tests, developmental reviews, immunisations, and parenting advice. Learn more about the Healthy Child Programme

The NHS offers advice on supporting children’s health, including caring for teeth, eyes, and sleep. Guidance covers brushing and fluoride use, dental visits, and preventive treatments; routine eye checks and free sight tests to spot vision problems early, as well as tips for improving sleep and managing sleep issues. Children's teeth Children's eye tests Managing sleep

Children are more likely to suffer from certain injuries because they are still developing, and there are some musculoskeletal conditions that usually start in childhood. ‘Growing pains’ is a common problem caused by the muscles and bones developing at different rates. It’s harmless and usually goes away on its own. Examples of serious childhood musculoskeletal problems include: ankylosing spondylitis (AS) * inflammation of the spine and other areas of the body juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) * pain and inflammation in one or more joints for at least 6 weeks rickets * weak and soft bones caused by a lack of vitamin D or calcium (often causing bowed legs) scoliosis * an irregular curve in the spine (can also be congenital)

[Children's health and development Supporting your child’s health, growth, and wellbeing at every stage.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice-and-resources/childrens-health-and-development)

[Children's health and development Supporting your child’s health, growth, and wellbeing at every stage.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice-and-resources/childrens-health-and-development)

[Auditory (hearing) system We may need more or less noise in our environment to help us focus on a task.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/sensory-processing/auditory-hearing-system) [Proprioception (body awareness and body position) An awareness of where our body is in relation to the space around us.](https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/advice/sensory-processing/proprioception)

Our specialist paediatric dietitians provide assessments and dietary plans for children and young people, from birth to 18 years old, who receive enteral nutrition at home or in the community. We also support those with complex needs at Special Educational Needs (SEN) schools across Berkshire who may need further help with their nutrition. This covers: Addington Arbour Vale Avenue Brookfields Castle Kennel Lane schools Manor Green Our service is designed for those experiencing challenges such as faltering growth, autism-related eating behaviours, or highly selective eating that can affect their nutritional wellbeing. We provide support over the phone, via video calls, in clinic, or through visits to your home or school.

Most first appointments take place in person at Erlegh House and last about an hour. If needed, we can make adjustments, like offering a virtual appointment. The first appointment would usually not include your child, but we’ll explain this clearly in your appointment letter. Parents or carers are able to bring a second person with them for support if needed. After that, we may arrange to visit your child at school and speak with their teachers to get a full picture of how things are going. If your child comes to the clinic, we'll ask you to share details of their likes, dislikes and sensory needs, so we can make the space comfortable and help them feel at ease.

Visit our School Nursing service for health and wellbeing advice for school-aged children and young people who attend state-maintained schools, free schools and academy schools in Bracknell Forest, Wokingham, Reading and West Berkshire. Learn more