Early Intervention Definition

Definition Early intervention refers to a system of services that help infants and toddlers with special needs or developmental delay. Through early intervention, young children can acquire a variety of developmental skills, including language and communication, cognitive, social, physical and self-help (Guralnick, 2005). Consequently, early intervention is designed to ensure that children with delays or needs can achieve optimal developmental outcomes that are almost comparable to other children.

History of Early Intervention The field of early childhood development has made commendable accomplishments in regards to service delivery and scholarly reflection. In fact, early intervention systems in the U.S. were introduced with the enforcement of the 1973 American Disabilities Act. This act allowed for the development of a special taskforce by congress, to study the needs of children with disabilities, which were not being adequately met prior to 1975 (Itkonen, 2007). For instance, over 1 million disabled children were excluded from public

For instance, each state is required by part H of the IDEA to formulate its own definition of developmental delay. In addition, the law requires the formation of an individualized family service plan (IFSP), which should develop by a multi-disciplinary team (Itkonen, 2007). The IFSP in this regards, should describe the criteria, methods and articulate specific family and child goals. In summary, recent laws and policy acknowledge the family as a central focus of early intervention services. Early intervention is important since it can help change the growth outcomes of both children and families in regards to their cognitive, communicational, social and physical