Early Intervention program for children at birth to age six.

What is Early Intervention? Some children are identified with a special need at birth while others later on. Early Intervention (EI) program is looking at minimising further complications for those identified with a special need or preventing a situation from happening to a child at risk from birth to age 3 or up to age 6. 

EI program prepares children with special needs to develop and improve skills (communication, movement and social) that will help children to live independently with minimal support or none at all. Special Needs includes Hearing and Visual impairment, developmental delay, physical impairments, lack in social skills, behaviour problems and etc..

Parents of chldren without special needs have also been bringing them to the EI class.  With this inclusion, EI is taken as Early Childhood Education.  In this regard, Early Intervention and Early Childhood Education are being used interchangeably.

Participants at Early Intervention Workshops

Eventhough the workshop was only for the SERC staff, parents of children with disabilities (CWD), Elementary and Primary school teachers, guadians of CWDs and TVET teachers did attend. This made the workshop more interesting because the others will know how to help those in their community with special needs

Community Based

Special Education Resource Centre (SERC) staff have been implementing EI program.  However, a refresher training conducted by Callan Studies National Institute (CSNI) has invigorated interest and prompted some SERCs to reach out and establish EI in the community instead of centre based.  They expressed that community based EI will reach out to more chilfdren than EI at the centre. From experience parents have stopped bringing their children to the centre due to distance.  Some SERCs thought it will be good to set up community based EI so that parents and children do not have to travel.far   The environment will be familar to the children with special needs which may help them to concentrate and learn.

Evaluation of EI Implementation

CSNI will conduct evaluation of the implementation of EI program in each SERC.  During the evaluation visits, specific trainings will be conducted for different SERCs upon their requests.  Close attention will be paid to how the program is being conducted.

Early Intervention Video