6. DEFINITION OF
EARLY INTERVENTION
Early Intervention is a term, which
broadly refers to a wide range of
experiences and supports provided to
children, parents and families during the
pregnancy, infancy and early childhood
period of development. [Dunst - 1996].
7. Continuation…
Early Intervention is the
introduction of planned
programming deliberately
timed and arranged in order to
alter the expected or projected
course of development [Siegal
- 1972].
8. WHAT IS EARLY INTERVENTION?
Early intervention is a system of services
that helps babies and toddlers with
developmental delays or disabilities. Early
intervention focuses on helping eligible
babies and toddlers learn the basic and
brand-new skills that typically develop
during the first three years of life.
10. Timing of intervention becomes particularly important
when a child runs the risk of missing an opportunity to
learn during a state of maximum readiness.
12. AIMS OF EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAMME
Early identification of infants at risk
Early identification of developmental
delays
Acceleration of rate of development
Acquisition of new behaviour/skills
13. Continuation…
Increase in independent functioning
Early detection and prevention of secondary
handicaps
Psychosocial support to families
To prevent, at-risk conditions or early
developmental irregularities from developing into
more serious problems.
14. “The child must know that he is a
miracle, that since the beginning of
the world there hasn’t been, and
until the end of the world there will
not be, another child like him.”
Pablo Casals
16. TYPES OF EARLY INTERVENTION
There are different types of
intervention can be provided- in the
home, in a centre, or by adopting an
approach that combines the two.
The arrangements for providing
intervention should be flexible.
17. Continuation…
The mother would essentially be fulfilling
many other roles and duties that demand
her time and attention.
This aspect has to be seriously considered
and alternative have to be found. One
alternative is accepting her varied roles
and providing support.
18. There are as basically three types of (or) service delivery models of
Early Intervention. They are as follows:
MODEL
HOME-
BASED
MODEL
CENTRE-
BASED
MODEL
ECLECTIC
20. HOME-BASED INTERVENTION
Trainer or the intervener visits the house of the
child with disability or developmental delays.
After understanding the family and its
environment, assess the child with disability and
ensuring medical intervention (if needed), the
home trainer begins the intervention.
Intervener works with parents to prioritize the
training needs of the child.
21. Continuation…..
The intervener teaches the parents how to
monitor the child’s progress and accordingly
proceed with the training activities.
The intervener makes periodic visits to the
house- one to three times a week, depending
on mutual convince, to provide the training
and to monitor progress.
The trainer maintains a records of the child
with disability’s progress and present
condition and activities.
23. SL.
NO
MERITS DEMERITS
1 Child learns in natural
environment. There is no
need for transfer of
learning from centre to
home condition.
Trainer can cover limited number of
children with disabilities due to
distance, travel time and
individualization of the programme.
2 Parents are involved in
their child’s learning.
A large number of home trainers are
needed to reach out the populations
through home training.
3 Materials required for
stimulation are available at
home.
The family will not have a chance to
meet other such families and have an
exchange of information about their
24. 4 All family members can
learn the intervention
skills and carry them out
with the CWSN
Training offered by one
trainer to another will differ
and may not be standard
unless there is a system of
coordination and monitoring.
5 The trainer has a good
understanding of the
family and its strengths
and problems.
The child may need the
services of more than one
expert, which a home trainer
may not be able to provide.
25. CENTRE- BASED INTERVENTION
A centre-based approach provides varied types of
help at a central location.
At the centre, group experts, including a doctor, social
worker, special educator and therapist for speech and
motor aspects, attend to the child and train the parents/
caregivers to carry out tasks at home to foster the
development of the child.
There are three ways in which the expert team at a
centre may interact with parents and the child:
26. CENTRE- BASED INTERVENTION
A centre-based approach provides varied types of
help at a central location.
At the centre, group experts, including a doctor, social
worker, special educator and therapist for speech and
motor aspects, attend to the child and train the parents/
caregivers to carry out tasks at home to foster the
development of the child.
There are three ways in which the expert team at a
centre may interact with parents and the child:
27. a) Each member of the expert team
meets the parents and the child and
provides interventionb) The team of experts, together,
attends to the child and the family and
provides intervention.
c) All experts meet and discuss the
child's care, and one team member
receives information from all of them
and in turn interacts with the child and
28. Continuation…
Each of intervention functioning are of the
expert team at the centre has its own strengths
and limitations.
Depending on the centre and resources
available, one or a combination of arrangements
can be used.
29. Continuation…
Irrespective of the model of interaction adopted, in centre-based
training, the child and the family receive help with methods and
materials suitable for the development of the child.
The child may visits the child periodically, day, once a week, or
more/less frequently, depending on the distance, convenience of
the family and the centre as well as the need of the child, to
receive the intervention and guidance on training to be carried out
at home.
31. SL.
NO
MERITS DEMERITS
1 Child gets direct services from the
experts using suitable aids,
appliances and assistive devices.
Transportation may be a major
problem in centre-based programme.
2 The parents/caregiver learns and
clarifies doubts from the experts
and therefore, feels more confident
about intervention.
Parent have to travel with CWSN to
reach the centre, which may mean a
day’s wages part from the travel
expenses.
3 The parents have an opportunity to
meet other parents of CWD and CW
Developmental Delays which helps
in developing positive attitude.
If not properly planned, having too
many people to guide the parents may
confuse them.
32. 4 It helps parents to gain
competence in handling
their child better as well
as helping another parent
in need .
It may be expensive in some
centers.
5 The child learn from other
children and also develop
social skills by playing
with other children.
All experts may not be
available in some centers
and also lesser the degree of
parent and family
involvement.
35. ECLECTIC INTERVENTION
The eclectic type is simply the combination of
home-based and centre-based intervention
strategies.
Parents and the child receive a combination of
services.
CWSN visits the centre periodically and other days the
home trainer, who is the link between the centre and the
family, visits the child at home once every 2-3 days and
provides services.
36. Continuation…
CWSN receives both kinds of services -
home-based and centre-based.
Depending on the location of the centre
residence of the child,
availability of resources,
practical convenience/ difficulty,
needs of the child and availability of services,
a parent can choose an eclectic programme.
37. “Free the child’s potential, and you
will transform him into the world”
-Maria Montessori
38. CONCLUSION
Therefore, early interventions are basically of three types: home-
based intervention, centre- based programmes and eclectic model. It
is also known as service delivery models of early intervention. Hence,
it is understood that early intervention means to provide appropriate
stimulation and carrying out individualized educational and therapeutic
activities to the child with intellectual disability, as well as providing
necessary support and guidance to the family.
39. REFERENCE
1. TNOU (2008). Nature and Needs of various
Disabilities: An Introduction; Directorate of
Technical Education Campus Guindy, Chennai.
2. NIMH (2008), Organization of Early
Intervention Services; Pg.No. 11, 12, 18-21.
