It is widely known that childhood, and especially the first years of life, are important in human development.
In this critical and defining stage of human life, it is undoubtedly necessary to be under the supervision and care of people who can assist the child and their parents and caregivers in the child’s cognitive, physical, and social development.
That is where early intervention specialization appears to fulfill its mission.
What is early intervention?
“Early Intervention is understood as the set of interventions, aimed at the child population aged 0-6 years, the family, and the environment, whose objective is to address as quickly as possible the transient or permanent needs presented by children with developmental disorders or who are at risk of suffering from them. These interventions, which must consider the child’s overall well-being, must be planned by a team of interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary professionals”, (White Paper on Early Intervention, 2000).
Early intervention is based on scientific principles and other sciences such as pediatrics, neurology, psychology, psychiatry, physiatry, and even linguistics. The purpose of early intervention is to offer children with deficits or at risk of suffering from them a set of optimizing and compensatory actions that facilitate their adequate maturation in all areas and allow them to achieve the maximum level of personal development and social integration.
This means that early intervention is much more than medical assistance. It is a biopsychosocial approach that includes parents, teachers, and in general, the context in which the child develops.
Such is the importance of early intervention that there are guides such as the White Paper on Early Intervention in Spain, regulations, and laws that summarize the principles, objectives, and services of early intervention. In Latin America, countries have done the same with the creation of academic training and care programs focused on comprehensive child care. By its nature, early intervention is indivisible from the guarantee of children’s human rights.
Why is Early Intervention specialization a good professional option?
The Early Intervention Specialization is a good professional option because it is a profession that is increasingly present in the care structures of medical health and educational services, and even in the social care services of states.
The early intervention professional plays an indispensable role in comprehensive services and is required at any level: preventive, diagnostic, or rehabilitative.
In addition to having high social value and recognition for the care work towards the most vulnerable population: children. Professionals enjoy advantageous salary compensations.
As it is a profession accessed with a postgraduate degree, the Early Intervention specialization guarantees professionals specialized training that will undoubtedly grant notoriety to their professional profiles. But it also facilitates the interaction and formation of multidisciplinary teams that provide a holistic vision and contribute to the enrichment of training from different perspectives.
Early intervention is decisive for the proper development of many children around the world. It is a professional practice that allows guaranteeing the good development of childhood in a significant way, addressing pathologies related to neurological problems. Early intervention allows for diagnosis and also the coordinated design of a care program that provides support and in many cases is a milestone in the lives of families and children who attend this therapy and their families.
Finally, early intervention is a good professional option because its application is multidisciplinary, allowing its practice in various fields, from educational to medical.
Areas of early intervention
To ensure that early intervention is truly effective and generates a positive impact on the community, family, and individuals, it has been arranged that it be carried out at three levels of competence.
- The first level, known as primary prevention, aims to avoid conditions that can lead to the appearance of deficiencies or developmental disorders in children.
- The second level of care aims at early detection and diagnosis. As is well known, brain plasticity in the first years of life is fundamental to counteract any cognitive damage in the child. Therefore, early detection and diagnosis are essential for more successful interventions. This detection can occur both in the prenatal stage, before the child is born, in obstetrics and gynecology services; in the perinatal stage during the neonatal care period (neonatology); or in the postnatal period, during pediatric assistance. Educational services participate in this second level of care. Teachers often perceive or detect developmental problems and recommend parents visit specialists for the corresponding diagnosis. Last but not least, the family environment is found at this detection level. Those who live daily with the child can notice warning signs that, if well-addressed and on time, can make a difference, preventing any physical neurological damage that the child may present from evolving negatively.
- The third level of care is related to the activities themselves directed towards the child and their environment with the aim of improving the conditions of their development. These are activities that seek to mitigate or overcome developmental disorders or dysfunctions and must be activated immediately after detection and diagnosis to be truly effective and have an impact. The fundamental objective of the intervention is to ensure that the family knows and understands the reality of their child, their capacities, and their limitations. Professionals must be agents that enhance the child’s development at this stage.
From this separation of early intervention work into levels, the service is addressed in the following areas of action: child development and Early Intervention centers, health services, social services, and educational services.
ISEP University, a leader in online training in Latin America, offers an Early Intervention specialization aimed at education, psychology, psychopedagogy, and medicine professionals interested in developing in early childhood care.