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EARLY INTERVENTION: PLANNING FUTURES, SHAPING YEARS
Author(s) -
McConkey Roy
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
mental handicap research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.056
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1468-3148
pISSN - 0952-9608
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-3148.1994.tb00113.x
Subject(s) - psychological intervention , nature versus nurture , intervention (counseling) , dignity , service (business) , promotion (chess) , public relations , futures contract , psychology , economic growth , political science , nursing , sociology , politics , business , medicine , marketing , economics , law , finance , anthropology
The achievements of early intervention during the last quarter of a century are built on family‐based services with a whole‐child focus. Their influence has been far‐reaching but knowing what needs to be done increases the frustrations in making effective interventions available to all families and children, irrespective of where they live. Among the service transformations reviewed are the shift in focus from children to families; the recasting of service personnel from specialists to family supporters; the development of therapies into child‐led transactions as the preferred means of promoting development, and new approaches to evaluating service effectiveness. Examples are given of low‐cost service strategies to meet the needs of the developing world, new styles of training opportunities for parents and communities, and the promotion of policies at a community and national level that nurture the wellbeing of children and families. The primary requirements for successful interventions remain the age‐old values of love, self‐sacrifice and respect for the dignity and worth of each person. Sustaining these in modern society is arguably our greatest challenge.