Critical Concepts in Early Intervention
What is the purpose of early childhood intervention?
The purpose of early childhood intervention is to support care providers in
developing the competence and confidence to help the child learn.
How do service coordinators and practitioners support care providers in developing the competence and confidence to help the child learn?
The role of the services coordinator and practitioner is to use support child
participation in everyday activities that are important and
interesting to the child and family using coaching as the method
of interaction between the parent and practitioner. The coaching role redefines who
supports are intended for, thus broadening the concept of serving a child with a
disability to support key people involved with the child across a variety of activities.
What is coaching in early childhood?
Coaching is an adult learning strategy in
which the coach promotes the learner's ability to reflect on his or her actions
as a means to determine the effectiveness of an action or practice and develop a
plan for refinement and use of the action in immediate and future situations.
For the child, this means being with partners in life who the child wants and needs to be with and doing what he wants and needs to do (Shelden & Rush, 2001).
For the learner, coaching develops the competence and confidence to implement strategies to increase the child's learning opportunities and participation in daily life, knowing when the strategies are successful and making changes in current situations, as well as, generalizing solutions to new and different circumstances, people, and settings (Bruder & Dunst, 1999; Fenichel & Eggbeer, 1992; Flaherty, 1999; Kinlaw, 1999).
For the child, this means being with partners in life who the child wants and needs to be with and doing what he wants and needs to do (Shelden & Rush, 2001).
For the learner, coaching develops the competence and confidence to implement strategies to increase the child's learning opportunities and participation in daily life, knowing when the strategies are successful and making changes in current situations, as well as, generalizing solutions to new and different circumstances, people, and settings (Bruder & Dunst, 1999; Fenichel & Eggbeer, 1992; Flaherty, 1999; Kinlaw, 1999).