English Lit Review

The significance of early interventions by adopting special education for disabled children.

Cinnamon B. Woodyard

Columbia Southern University

Introduction

A review of the existing literature on the significance of early interventions by adopting special education for disabled children. Disabled children can lead a richly rewarding life, even though they are the most vulnerable within our community. The ability of parents to provide effective early intervention reflects on the understanding of the child development process. The development of the child during the early stages of growth gives a special opportunity to foster development gains in the child, as the capacity of the brain grows and develops before the age of three. On the other hand, special needs children get low regard when attending normal classes and therefore they need special attention, which requires more time than teachers of normal classes can incorporate during their lessons. Early childhood intervention is a program that has been developed to help children with developmental delays or disabilities. This intervention comprises a range of services and support, that helps ensure and enhance the child’s personal development. The access to mainstream services such as healthcare and education is vital to a child’s healthy development and inclusion. As the child grows, the access to early childhood education is essential in helping the child to develop a foundation for continual learning, as the child transits through the first grades of elementary school. Compared to other normal children, the children with a disability have a tendency of starting school late and have a lower rate of staying school. The belief is that that living with children with a disability is difficult, as they grow up. In many different countries, there are limited services that focus on these kids, and some which are available are very expensive, not inclusive and located in urban areas. Children with a disability should receive early intervention regarding special education to ensure they grow and develop properly as they have equal rights as the other children.

Literature review

The subject of childhood intervention through special education for children with disabilities or developmental delays has a wide history and has been a topic of discussion over the years. There is a unique need for learning in small children and infants, who learn in the context of their families and therefore the type of learning that would be effective is one that targets these families. As well as the children (Bruder, 2001Dunst 2007), proposed a system for defining the early childhood intervention. Infants and toddlers with disabilities by their parents and other caregivers with the intent to promote the children’s acquisition and use behavioral competencies to shape and influence their social; interactions with other people. These effects are a result of the characteristics of the family that include, culture, background living conditions and composition.

It is important to note that both the nature of early development and the heterogeneity of a child who may gain from the early intervention add a variety of complexity that is specific to the age of the child, as opposed to the other age and fields of intervention that target specific children in a particular category such as learning disabilities or intellectual disabilities. Early intervention is defined by the age range, instead of the disability category as shown by the variety of needs enrolled in early intervention. The challenges that are met when trying to satisfy this need are described in the individuals with disabilities education improvement act.

There is powerful evidence to show that families have a lot of effect in the growth and development of children (Dunst, 2007; Dunst, Trivette, & Hamby, 2006; Lynch & Hanson, 2004). Children with disabilities should be taught in facilities that integrate them with their families, and that gives them confidence on their current and future learning, this way they will grow up loving to learn and explore without fear of stigma. A learning environment that makes them learn to appreciate who they are at an early age.

Over the years children with disabilities have greatly benefited from learning with children with no disabilities. As a matter of fact, this practice has been seen as one of the best ways to deliver quality early childhood intervention (Buysse & Hollingsworth, 2009). IDEA requires that these interventions are delivered in environments in which the other children participate.Those places can be a natural setting for every normal child with no disability. Emphasis has been made on this to ensure that the families of the children with disability and the children without will be included in everyday home and community activities and the interventions will not be delivered in places where the child is isolated from everyone else. Inclusive and natural learning environment gives a conducive place for delivering instructional practices and therapeutic techniques because they are easily embedded in activity settings.

Training children with disabilities alongside other children is known as mainstreaming. The primary advantage of mainstreaming is that it gives these children a natural and real-world environment. It offers a big opportunity for socialization and equipping the children with adequate social skills. Mainstreaming has its foundation on inclusion to promote the greater good of the children, and a traditional classroom promotes more opportunities for the challenging experiences. There are struggles to provide an adequate education for the disabled students, but it is limited by the budgetary constraints in the school making it hard for the teachers to deliver these services.

Studies show that the early learning experiences affect our growth. The early stages of development in a child provide the foundation for all the future development. The risk of missing the most important development lessons is high in children and they should be able to gain special attention, and other concerns should be met. The duty bearers of the child must be held accountable, suppose the children fail to get the early intervention to ensure that all girls and boys with disabilities have access to lifelong learning.

Overview of the literature review

The literature review discusses the research on the significance of the early childhood intervention. The recent studies show that there is a positive impact of an early intervention to the children with disabilities. Despite the more extensive intervention at an early age for children with disabilities, these students require more intensive intervention in smaller groups for the success of the learning sessions and proper growth and development (Torgesen, 2001). Early interventions to these children help them grow with esteem and learn properly among other students without fear that they are different and with acceptance of their state.

There is a great significance to the early intervention to children. It helps them grow into a good part of the society and not grow as those who believe that society has rejected them.

Developing new ways to address the future of early childhood intervention should include giving enough money to public schools to assist parents of these children, adopting a culture of accountability across all the dimensions of the service provision, developing and instituting evidence-based practice and merging early care with educational movement. Following the laws that have been legislated concerning early childhood development is essential to the success of this service.

References

Bruder, M. B. (2000). Family centered early intervention: Clarifying our values for the new millennium. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 20 (2), 105–115

Buysse, V., & Hollingsworth, H. L. (2009). Program quality and early childhood inclusion: Recommendations for professional development. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 29 119–128.

Campbell, P. H. (2004). Participation-based services: Promoting children’s participation in natural settings. Young Exceptional Children, 8 (1), 20–29.

Dunst, C. J. (2007). Early intervention for infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities. In S. L.Odom, R. H. Horner, M. Snell, & J. Blacher (Eds.), Handbook of developmental disabilities (pp. 161–180). NewYork, NY: Guilford Press

Dunst, C. J. (2000). Revisiting “Rethinking early intervention.” Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 20, 95–104.

Dunst, C. J., &Trivette, C. M. (2009a). Let’s be PALS: An evidence-based approach to professional development. Infants and Young Children, 23 (3), 164–176.

Lynch, E. W., & Hanson, M. J. (Eds.). (2004). Developing cross-cultural competence: A guide for working with children and their families Baltimore, MD: Paul H.Brookes.

Torgesen, J. K. (2001). Intensive remedial instruction for children with severe reading disabilities: Immediate and long-term outcomes from two instructional approaches. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 34, 33–58.