Quality early intervention programs for young children with developmental disabilities involve the parents as well as other settings such as child care centres.
But what is the best way to foster their active involvement? The Programme d'évaluation, d'intervention et de suivi [Evaluation, Intervention and Monitoring Program] has been implemented in a rehabilitation centre for persons with intellectual disabilities and pervasive developmental disorders. This program makes it possible to evaluate children's functional abilities and identify intervention aims and objectives while providing suggestions for a variety of appropriate activities for parents and child care settings.
How can this tool be implemented and under what conditions?
Yet how can this tool be implemented and under what conditions? What is the best way to support the child care practitioners? What means do supervisors have at their disposal to provide this support? What effect does the implementation of this tool have on families and child care centres?
The results show that child care practitioners see benefits to using this program. However, it is important that they receive proper support from their supervisors, and that they be provided with conditions favourable to the application of the program. The parents and child care centres involved in the program attest to greater participation in child assessment, the selection of objectives and the intervention methods used.
Carmen Dionne, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
Call for proposals
Deposit of the research report: September 2011