Early Intervention for Children with Special Needs in Diverse Settings
Rationale
The White Paper on Early Childhood Education: Ready to Learn (1999), identifies the ‘principal objective’ of Government policy in relation to the education of children aged birth to six years as that of supporting the development and educational achievement of children through high quality early education, ‘with particular focus on the target groups of disadvantage and those with special needs’ (p.14). The Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education (CECDE) has responsibility for developing targeted interventions, on a pilot basis, for children with special needs (Memorandum of Agreement, p.1).
The purpose of this project was to offer a high quality intervention to children from birth to six years with special needs in a variety of settings.
Researcher/Institute/Organization
Margaret Galvin, Project Manager, Disabilities Directorate, HSE-West
Brief Description of Research
This project established baseline information for a group of children in various education/care settings, and then designed and implemented individual intervention plans for each child. It explored the key components of high quality early intervention for children with special needs in a wide range of ECCE settings.
Centre for Early Childhood Development & Education
Gate Lodge, St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra, Dublin 9. Tel: 00353 (0)1 8842110 Fax: 00353 (0)1 8842111
Email: early.childhood@spd.dcu.ie
