Early Intervention for Children with Intellectual Disabilities: Current Knowledge and Future Prospects

• Published in: Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities 2005-12, Vol.18 (4), p.313-324
• Main Author: Guralnick, Michael J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Child Development; developmental framework; Developmental Stages; Early Intervention; Educational Research; Experiential Learning; Intellectual disabilities; Interpersonal Competence; Mental Health; Mental Retardation; Outcomes of Treatment; Program Development; specificity of outcomes
• ISSN: 1360-2322; 1468-3148
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-3148.2005.00270.x

The field of early intervention is vibrant, generating expectations that systematic, comprehensive, experientially based interventions will alter developmental trajectories and prevent secondary complications. In this article, the existing knowledge base in the field is reviewed. It emphasizes the importance of an overall developmental framework, what is known through intervention science and the emergence of guiding principles for programme design and development. This is followed by a discussion of future prospects for improving early intervention outcomes in four areas. First, the importance of designing studies that provide information about carefully defined subgroups is discussed. This issue of specificity of outcomes is crucial in order to determine boundaries for effectiveness and to direct attention to areas of special concern. Second, prospects for translational research are discussed with particular reference to our knowledge of the core developmental processes affected. Third, the need to focus on the increasingly apparent mental health and social competence difficulties of even young children with intellectual disabilities is considered. Finally, the complex problems and potential solutions associated with the transfer of model intervention programmes to communities as part of early intervention systems are described.