Family-Oriented Program Models and Professional Helpgiving Practices - Essay Example

Running Head: Early Intervention. Name: Course: Tutor: October 15, 2012 It is well documented that early literacy takes place during the early years usually up to the third year in growth and development, thus laying foundation for developments in future. Under normal circumstances, children develop in predictable ways like talking, walking and gaining other new skills in already studied and documented schedules. The human brain experiences a rapid growth up to the fifth year in life and what happens within the first years bears the greatest influence in promotion or inhibition of its development (Neuman and Dickinson , 2001). However, other factors such as, environmental, physical, mental or even a combination of factors may slower the timetable plan of a child’s development. Not every child is born healthy, gets adequate health care, accesses proper nutrition has adequate housing, and is raised by parents in comfort, getting proper nurturing as well as appropriate challenge. Above all, not every child is born without disabilities besides any other form of biological attrition. Formal early intervention forms an integral aspect that ensures that the child and his/her family get a productive and healthy start and thrive (Neuman and Dickinson , 2001). Early childhood intervention is all about child care or home visiting programmes with an aim of promoting child development from the period of birth up through the period they enter school. Its logic aims at compensating for a variety of factors which expose the children to a risk of poor outcomes with more support to children, parents and/ or families through a structure of experiences directly or indirectly through enhancement of the care giving environment (Neuman and Dickinson , 2001). In most cases, children who are at a high risk of poor development form the target for such programmes. Contrary to this fact, child care design does not always primarily undertake early childhood intervention but rather covers a wide range of other groups of stake holders. In addition, it may be difficult to ascertain the child care offered in diverse settings. According to Keyser (2007), early childhood intervention models vary and it is important to understand whether they include the component of childcare, and if so, the quality of the care. Early childhood intervention services’ biggest challenge involves merging of scholarly and practitioners’ insights and knowledge with the creativity of the designers and implementers of social policies to( Keyser, 2007). In addition, it has neither been uniformly embraced nor consistently supported leading to alienation of its objectives, methods and program models specifications as well as recipients and service providers’ selection. Family- centred practice has been a successful program in early childhood intervention especially in assisting children with special needs. Actually, family- centred practice is a systematically coordinated way of building mutual partnerships with families through; treating them with respect and dignity, honoring their choices and values, and providing them with the necessary support that strengthens and enhances their function as a family ( Dunst, Trivette and Hamby, 2006). The practice recognizes the fact that it is the family which is constant in a child’s life and thus it is mandated with the facilitation of collaboration at all levels between the parent and the professional. The practice as well respects the cultural, racial, ethnic and social economic differences amongst different families besides acknowledging their strengths and different coping methods. The understanding of this in turn helps the professionals to share full and true information with parents supportively besides encouraging family- to- family networking and support. In essence, Trivette and Dunst ( 2000), affirms that the practice helps in design of flexible systems that respond to identified family needs that bear cultural competency. For the success of the family- centred practice model, the support provided (input by the professionals) is equally important to the avenue in which the intervention is administered or provided. According to Trevette and Dunst (2000), it must place optimal emphasis on strengths not weaknesses, promote a family driven choice and control as opposed to desired resources and develop a relationship of collaboration between professionals and parents. According to Trivette and Dunst (2000), family- centred practices revolves around four spheres. In the first category, the professionals and the family collaboratively share responsibility and work. In this set up, the families make informed decisions as professions share complete information through developing of relationships. The second category puts emphasis on provision of resources and support so as to impart a sense of self confidence as well as competence to parents. The third category ensures flexible and individualized practices where emphasis is made on modifying interventions so as to fit into the needs, values and priorities of each family and child. It ensures no assumptions are made on the values and beliefs of the family hence offering resources and support in a manner that alleviates stress. The last arrangement of practices ensures identification of strengths of each family and child and using these strengths to build intervention strategies. Several studies show that programme satisfaction, self- efficacy, perceptions of the parents on functioning and behavior of their children, as well as parenting behavior are strongly directly linked with the use of the family-centred practices (Dunst et al, 2006) In his study, Dunst (2002) argues that professionals in real sense are not as skilled in family- centred practices as they think, irrespective of whether they are engaged with children with disabilities or school going children. They face a challenge of implementation of both relational and participatory practices leave alone incorporate families even at the basic of all levels (Dunst, 2002). Many reasons have been given and one frequently mentioned is all about lack of unity between research and practise, according to Bruder, (2000). Inavailability of effective training especially in family- centred practices also doesn’t by pass mentioning. According to Bruder (2000) and Shannon (2004), more time and attention is concentrated on imparting skills for the skills of the child contrary to training for family- centred approach. In addittion, ther has been cases of biased attitudes by the professionals where they fail to view the families as equal partners and experts in the practice thus creating an impact on thechild and family outcomes. Majority of the researchers within the sphere of family- centred planning largely wanted to determine what results are reached forchildren and their parents within this set up. Some of the factors under scrutiny include the parenting stress, child’s development and behaviour as well as control of competence and locus (Campbell and Halbert ,2002). In his study, Dunst (200) affirms that most professionals undertaking the family- centred practice find it easier to adopt the relational skills rather than the participatory skills. According to Dunst (2000), replacing their roles of a making the decisions, setting the agenda, prescribing the advice being an expert with the more demanding role of being a listener, consultant, facilitator and partner is proving more difficult to them. However, it becomes rather quie a comfortable approach, when the professiona recognising the potential in others of making sound and informed decisions, becomes deeply committed contrary to complying to the programme as well as resisiting the temptation of taking over the programme, prescribing advice and threats or even giving promises beyond the capacity to deliver. The professional, most importantly, should pay close attention to self behaviour within the relationship, tell the truth as well as acknoledge and confess doubts in addition to maintaining a positive working approach even when facing rejection, indifference and hostility (Dunst, 2002). Through all these, it continually accumulates evidence on its influence on child as well as family outcomes though on a negative note, it continues getting a rather slow adoption rate. There are also other types of early childhood intervention worth looking into, that is, preschool and home visitation. Preschool aims at assisting three and four year olds gain preliminary competence for kindergaten entry. Ramey, Craig , and Sharon (2004) notes that young children develop appropriate social- emotional behaviours necessary for learning later through formation of friendships, self regulation of behaviour as well as learning how to get along with the others as the children share classrooms. Preschool therefore focuses entirely on the child and the learning process. On the contrary, home visitation takes two dimensions in its approach. Professionals collaborate with the parents with an aim of helping them assist their children according to Sweet and Appelbaum (2004). Home visitation and preschool are not the only early childhood intervention ways and so are the various approaches that may be employed according to the need or assessment. According to Bruder (2000) and Shannon (2004), the approach to be employed depends on target persons, target criteria, the targeted outcomes for improvement, age of the target child, the location of the services, the services offered, the intervention intensity, individualized attention and the reach of the program. The program must provide evidence of being effective, appropriate and feasible if success is to be realised.Resources pose a major problem towards supporting such emergent approaches and in this face, interventions that are parent- focussed into the school environment need to be intergrated so as to adaptively offer tailored school- based programmes that embrace those fanilies in the most dire need of parenting support (Sweet and Appelbaum, 2004). One model supported by such a principle is the tradisciplinary model of practice whose main rationale is to share roles across all the main players in the early intervention programme hence maximumly enhancing interaction, communication and cooperation. This interprets to formation of a team around the child all with specific roles, such as, the role of the family, the professional’s role, interaction of the team, communication lines and the process af assessment. In conclusion, early intervention is a fundamental approach aimed at offering an opprtunity to make notable and lasting solutions on improving children’s lives, more so the vulnerable children, and as well put to an end myriad social problems hence ending their transmission through the generations. In this realisation, the family- centred approach model has been found specifically benaficial when collaboratively working with families is realised. At its core, its mandate is to embrace the family roles in undertaking its set practices as opposed to coming up with a set of facts to be administered (Campbell and Halbert, 2002). Most of the successful methods that have been applied especially on children’s first three years offer them important and valuable security in their social and emotional spheres, which in deed is essential for the rest of their lives. It should, in addition , according to Campbell and Halbert (2002), be founded on sound policies that instill skills in them needed for the challenges each stage of childhood and entry to the adulthood shall throw unto them. In a wider scope, we understand that early intervention is quite significant in physical and mental health improvement, attainment of education as well as employment opportunities besides prevention of criminal bahaviour, teenage pregnancy and alcohol and drug misuse (Ramey, Craig , and Sharon, 2004). As a final thought, it is therefore paramount that all the players in early childhood program work in mutual cooperation so that the benefits of this programme can be really felt though, as experience has always proved, adapting to a new system of doing things is rather difficult. HANDOUT FOR TEACHERS. Childhood intervention refers to a family support design system where interaction patterns that promote the development of a chold are practised. The intervention services usually kick off at or awhile after birth all dependent on the need, going on up to a time when the goals of development are realised and consolidated. Primarily, the early childhood intervention programmes aim at offering support to parents who in turn are equiped with the necessary skills to help their children utilise their competencies to realise their absolute developmental potential. The early childhood intervention programmes includes a variety of rich activities that encourage development of a variety of domains such as, language, physical, occupationa therapy, inclusive services in special education, parent education and support services. As mentioned before, growth and development is sensitive at the early period of life. With offering tremndous opportunuty for environmental stimulation is actually promoting development while at the same time the child is vulnerable when such is deprived. Nature and nurture here are key both independently and in an interaction with each other. Bahavioral, physical and health, social and self- regulatory capaccities are early capacities on which subsequent development relies upon. Family- centred practice is not a strange area to professionals especially those educating children with special needs. It is a process through which professionals create a partnership with families by treating them with respect and dignity, honoring their values and choices as well as providing the necessary support that enhances and strengthens the family functioning (Dunst, Trivette and Hamby, 2006). As a professional, it is vital to understand the core elements of the family- centred approach, which among many others, recognize the fact that the family is the key constant aspect in a child’s life. As such, professional- parent collaboration should be facilitated at all levels. This collaboration aspect approach respects the families’ ethnic, racial, cultural and social- economic diversity besides affirming the strengths of the family and its coping methods. In a nutshell, this approach emphasizes on working with families from its strong points, not deficits; promoting the family’s choice and control over the resources it desires as well as developing a relationship of collaboration amongst the professionals and the parents. Trivette and Dunst (2000) stressed the point that family- centered practices fall under four categories according to their working principles. The first category focuses on developing relationships, sharing power and control, and full sharing of information by the professionals to enable the family make knowledgeable decisions. The second aims at strengthening the family by offering support and resources to help build confidence and competence on the family. The third category emphasizes the importance of modifying the intervention to suit the needs, values and the priorities of the family while the last depends on identifying the strengths of the child and the family and using the strengths to build a room for intervention. In summative, family- centred care is not an end to itself nor does it serve as an instant remedy, but it is rather a continuous process that answers to the needs and choices of families. Materials for further reading DUNST, C. J., BOYD, K., TRIVETTE, C. M. and HAMBY, D.W. (2002) Family-oriented program models and professional helpgiving practices. Family Relations Crais, E., Roy, V. And Free, K. (2006) “Parents’ and Professionals’ Perceptions of the Implementation of Family-Centred Practices in Child Assessments”. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. 15, 365–377 Dunst, C. J., Trivette, C.M., and Hamby, D.W. (2010). Influences of family-systems ntervention practices on parent--child interactions and child development.Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 30 (1), 3-19. Bibliography BRUDER, M. B. (2000). Family-centered early intervention: clarifying ourvalues for the new millennium. Topics in Early Childhood Specia lEducation, 20, 2 , 105–115 CAMPBELL, P. H. and HALBERT, J. . (2002). Between research and practice: provider perspectives on early intervention. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 22, 4 , 213–226. DEMPSEY, I. and DUNST, C. J. (2004). Helpgiving styles and parent empowerment in families with a young child with a disability. . Journa lof Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 29, 1 , 40–51. DUNST, C. J. (2002). Family-centered practices: birth through high school. Journal of Special Education, 36, 3 , 139–147. DUNST, C. J., TRIVETTE, C. M. and HAMBY, D. W. (2006). Family Support Program Quality and Parent, Family and Child Benefits. Asheville, NC: Winterberry Press. Keyser, J. (2007). From parents to partners: Building a family-centeredearly childhood program. . St. Paul, MN: Redleaf. Neuman, S., & D Dickinson. . (2001). Handbook of early literacy research. New York: Guilford Press. Ramey, Craig T., and Sharon L. Ramey. (2004). Early Learning and School Readiness: Can Early Intervention Make a Difference? Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, Vol. 50, No. 4 , 471 491. Sweet, Monica A., and Mark I. Appelbaum. (2004). Is Home Visiting an Effective Strategy? A Meta-Analytic Review of Home Visiting Programs for Families with Young Children. Child Development, Vol. 75, No. 5 , 1435- 1456. TRIVETTE, C. M. and DUNST, C. J. . (2000). Recommended practices in family-based practices. Longmont, CO: Sopris West. Read More