ToP program: developmental support for children born prematurely
The TOP programme stands for Transmural Developmental Support for Prematures. It is a support programme for children (and their parents) who were born before the 32nd week of pregnancy or had a birth weight of less than 1500 grams. The programme is offered preventively to all children, even when your child is doing well and there have been hardly any complications during hospitalisation.
In our practice, Simone Becx has been trained as a ToP therapist.
The programme consists of 12 home visits during the first year after coming home. The programme is fully reimbursed by your health insurer and does not fall under your own risk.
After returning home you may notice that your baby has to get used to his new surroundings. Sounds, colours and smells, but also activities such as changing nappies, feeding, cuddling, visiting newborns or walking in a pram can provide a lot of information which is still difficult for your baby to process.
In the ToP programme we help you to turn these very ordinary everyday activities into pleasant experiences so that your child can grow and become curious about his surroundings. After all, your child learns the most by participating actively and relaxed.
All children, even those born prematurely or who have been ill, feel the need to explore their world from an early age. Young children use all their senses: they listen, look, feel and move, taste and smell to explore and take in their surroundings. Your child's body language will always tell you how it feels, what it wants and what it needs: whether it is interested in information from its environment, whether it can adapt to circumstances and when it is too much. The adaptability of your child: concentrating, staying in balance and keeping control of his behaviour is very important for his development. The ToP programme therefore devotes a great deal of attention to how you can help your child in this respect.
During the home visits we try to 'read' and interpret your child's behaviour together. We look at movements, facial expressions, the degree of alertness, and at signs of your child's physical condition, such as colour and breathing. By empathizing with your child in this way, we are better able to respond and meet his needs. We use photos (only with your permission of course) and write a report for you afterwards, in which we insert the photos to support the text. We can also talk together about what you have noticed. Perhaps you have collected questions, or you are worried.
In addition, the ToP therapist helps to identify any problems early on and to refer you to other care providers such as a pre-logopedist or a dietician, or to consult with your paediatrician.