What
is "Early Intervention" and who benefits from it?
Is Early Intervention
effective?
What are the critical
features of a successful Early Intervention programs?
Why
Intervene Early?
According to the
US Department of Education there are three primary reasons....
- To enhance the child's
development
- To provide support and assistance
to the family
- To maximize the child's and
family's benefit to society
Child development research has established that
the rate of human learning and development is most rapid in the preschool years.
Timing of intervention becomes particularly important when a child runs the
risk of missing an opportunity to learn during a state of maximum readiness.
If the most teachable moments or stages of greatest readiness are not taken
advantage of, a child may have difficulty learning a particular skill at a later
time. Karnes and Lee (1978) have noted that "only through early identification
and appropriate programming can children develop their potential" (p. 1).
Early intervention services also have a significant impact on the parents and
siblings of an exceptional infant or young child. The family of a young exceptional
child often feels disappointment, social isolation, added stress, frustration,
and helplessness. The compounded stress of the presence of an exceptional child
may affect the family's well-being and interfere with the child's development.
Families of handicapped children are found to experience increased instances
of divorce and suicide, and the handicapped child is more likely to be abused
than is a non-handicapped child.
Early intervention can result in parents having improved attitudes about themselves
and their child, improved information and skills for teaching their child, and
more release time for leisure and employment. Parents of gifted preschoolers
also need early services so that they may better provide the supportive and
nourishing environment needed by the child.
A third reason for intervening early is that society will reap maximum benefits.
The child's increased developmental and educational gains and decreased dependence
upon social institutions, the family's increased ability to cope with the presence
of an exceptional child, and perhaps the child's increased eligibility for employment,
all provide economic as well as social benefits.
*Source: US Department of Education
