Related Experiment Videos
The effectiveness of early intervention: a critical review
1State Child Development Centre, Health Department of Western Australia, West Perth.
Insights
Early intervention for developmental delay is most effective when multidisciplinary, home-based, and involves parents. Research suggests benefits for disadvantaged children, but long-term impacts require further study.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Development
Background:
- Established principles for managing developmental delay emphasize multidisciplinary teams, holistic child development, home-based programs, and parent involvement.
- The effectiveness of early intervention, particularly for children with disabilities, has been questioned, with some evidence suggesting benefits primarily for disadvantaged populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and critically evaluate the established principles of early intervention for children with developmental delay.
- To examine the evidence supporting key components of early intervention programs, such as parental involvement and program timing.
- To discuss the limitations of current research and suggest future directions for investigating the long-term impact of early intervention.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and synthesis of existing research on early intervention for developmental delay.
- Critical analysis of commonly held beliefs regarding the efficacy of various intervention strategies.
- Discussion of evidence regarding the impact of parental involvement, age at commencement, and program type.
Main Results:
- Multidisciplinary, home-based programs with strong parental partnerships are generally more effective, especially for younger children.
- Evidence supporting the long-term impact on developmental disability is mixed, with some studies showing benefits primarily for disadvantaged children.
- Early intervention consistently demonstrates effectiveness in providing parental support, improving parent-child relationships, and reducing anxiety, irrespective of documented changes in developmental disability.
Conclusions:
- While early intervention offers significant benefits in parental support and relationship building, its impact on altering developmental disabilities requires further rigorous investigation.
- Programs should be cost-effective, minimally disruptive to family functioning, and avoid causing guilt when outcomes are not as expected.
- Future research should broaden outcome measures beyond cognitive and physical functioning to encompass a more holistic view of child and family well-being.
Abstract:
The following principles are now clearly defined in the management of children with developmental delay: (1) Multidisciplinary teams are more effective than individual therapeutic approaches. (2) The whole development of the child needs to be considered rather than a single deficient area alone. (3) Home-based programmes are more effective in the young preschool child than centre-based programmes alone. (4) Parent involvement in partnership with professionals is essential for sustained progress. (5) Maximum effectiveness is achieved when parental skills are increased. (6) Programmes commencing earlier in preschool years are more effective than those that commence late. This concept has been recently challenged and evidence supports benefits for the disadvantaged rather than the disabled. White also contends that there is 'simply not enough information to be confident about the long-term impact of early intervention with handicapped children and evidence in support of many of the commonly held positions about mediating variables (e.g. parental involvement, age at start) is either non-existent or contradictory. Early intervention is clearly effective in offering parental support, fostering parent/child relationships and diminishing anxiety even for those programmes that have not at present been proven in altering the developmental disability. Programmes that involve high cost, disrupt total family functioning, deflect scarce resources away from more proven areas of effectiveness should be discouraged, and they should never cause guilt in either parent or professional when they seem ineffective. Future research should include investigation of outcomes other than cognitive and physical functioning alone. We should be warned from the somewhat crisp statement of Mark Twain: 'There is something fascinating about science. One gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such a trifling investment in fact'.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)