WEBWORDS 26: ACQ Internet Column February 2007
EARLY CHILDHOOD INTERVENTION
Caroline Bowen

For the Speech-Language Pathologist employed in this area, early detection, assessment, prevention and intervention for communication and swallowing issues are all in a day's work. They practice individually or as trans-disciplinary team players, designing, managing and coordinating services, implementing programs, giving family or organizational support, and providing professional development. Integral to their modus operandi are the ideals, goals and principles of equitable, inclusive practice.

It is probably fair to say that most Speech-Language Pathologists serving paediatric populations have some involvement with EI on a regular basis, even if it is only in a peripheral way: helping with goal setting or IEP's, providing reports or making telephone contact with a child's "official" EI team.

RESEARCH NEED
Early Childhood Intervention Australia: ECIA stands for inclusion both in terms of the populations it serves, and with regard to who is eligible to join its ranks. Membership is open to anyone who is interested in participating in a state or territory chapter. ECIA believes that by involving a range of people, and enabling access to relevant current research, it will be better placed to inform public discussion, government policies and EI service choices. The data it aspires to disseminate are in the areas of early identification, effectiveness of intervention, family-centred practice, inclusion, recommended practices, rural and remote issues, service co-ordination, and service outcomes.

The pressing need for such information was made clear by Llewellyn,Thompson and Fante (2002) who reported that:

• There is little to guide early childhood agencies in how to achieve successful inclusion;
• There is little to assist families in choosing one service over another; and,
• There is scant evidence of which inclusion practices are most effective for particular children with disabilities and their families.

Their Sydney study revealed, or perhaps confirmed, that when EI is delivered within mainstream early childhood services, the experience of children with disabilities and their families is essentially one of receiving "special treatment", and that this is compounded by the perception in the sector that including children with disabilities can happen only if funds are made available to support the child, the service, or both.

PROFESSIONALS
There are many EI organisations that have an exclusively professional focus, whose members include clinicians, researchers, program developers and policy makers. Among those with a web presence is the British Academy of Childhood Disability: BACD, the only multidisciplinary professional body in childhood disability in the UK. Its site contains fascinating documents, like the National Autism  Plan for Children and a helpful collection of links, including one to the European Academy: EACD another large organization for professionals that represents 35 countries!

The BACD's United States counterpart, the Council for Exceptional Children: CEC, proudly presents itself as the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities. The Journal of Early Intervention is an official publication of the Division for Early Childhood of CEC which also publishes a second journal with a practical focus, the inexpensive Young Exceptional Children.

A CEC site search using the Boolean string speech AND pathology yields a range of informative electronic documents (slow-to-load page!) which includes articles on autism spectrum disorders, communication disorders, developmental disabilities and traumatic brain injury, as well as copious information about evidence-based practice. A similarly rewarding search experience is available at the CanChild Centre with the string early AND intervention.

POLITICS
Almost anywhere you search and browse within EI topics the politics of policy, power, priorities, and professional territorialism are prominent. Throughout the world interested communities grapple with the realities of EI in under-funded, resource-scarce environments, having to accommodate to changing family structures, roles and values. Dogged by conflict and shortages of adequately prepared personnel, and limited by a lack of accessible research and training opportunities, they press on, constructing EI programs that vary remarkably in quality, philosophy and structure. These difficulties are particularly apparent at international levels.

A policy cornerstone of the International Society on Early Intervention is that issues relevant to EI go beyond national boundaries. It provides resources, links and sobering food for thought about the inadequacies that exist in international EI information sharing and collaborations. They note specifically the difficulties specialists from different disciplines, and specialists in basic and applied science, have in communicating with each other. Of even greater concern, they say, is "the tendency of international organizations to focus on a specific group of children, such as individuals with established intellectual disabilities or children at risk for developmental problems due to prenatal exposure to alcohol, does not easily permit early interventionists to address the critical issues that transcend disability or risk status". All a bit glum making, really.

ALL THE IMPORTANT C's
But, you know, ever the optimist, when the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my favourite things, and then I don't feel so bad (Rodgers and Hammerstein, 1959).

I can always cheer myself up when the inconsistencies and irritations of the EI scene are irksome by simply remembering a fabulous Spring morning at the impressive Champion Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand. It wasn't so much the crisp apple strudels, the enthusiastic welcome or my host's impromptu travelogue to and from this little oasis of creativity, skill and professionalism. No, it was the immense delight of seeing the dynamism, subtlety and finesse with which children were guided towards functional goals in enjoyable, challenging play contexts, the warmth and responsiveness of the interactions between the little clients, and parents, siblings, therapists, teachers, students and non-professional staff, and the absolute dedication with which the adults in the mix all went about their business. And it was the great satisfaction of realising that the program was theoretically grounded and evidence-based. All the important "C's" were there as they no doubt are in EI settings wherever you go: co-operation collaboration, communication, competency, and unswerving commitment. Champion!

Rodgers, R., & Hammerstein, O. (1959). My Favorite Things. The Sound of Music.

• Best Practices
• Engagement is everything
• Prevention and EI literature review
• University of Oregon: EI Program
• Wisconsin Birth to 3
• Zero to Three

BOOKS

• EI Practices Around the World
• Interdisciplinary Clinical Assessment

ACQiring Knowledge in Speech, Language and Hearing, or ACQ, is Speech Pathology Australia's clinical and professional journal. It provides a forum for the 3,000 plus members of the association, and is published three times a year in February, June and October. Each issue of ACQ has a main theme or topic as well as articles that are not tied to a particular subject area. Its Internet column, Webwords, usually addresses the central theme of the issue of ACQ in which it appears. You can find Webwords in print in the magazine itself, and also here on this site, with live links to featured resources.

• Webwords Index

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