A systems perspective is put forward designed to place the many diverse conceptual and practice approaches and accomplishments in the early intervention field within a common framework. Complex reciprocal patterns of influence are described emphasizing risk and protective factors operating at 3 levels: child social and cognitive competence, family patterns of interaction, and family resources. It is argued that this framework can provide an understanding with respect to why early intervention works when it does as well as establish a new assessment and intervention approach firmly grounded in developmental science.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Previously unacquainted groups of normally developing and mildly developmentally delayed preschool-age boys (N = 64) were brought together to form a series of 8 mainstreamed playgroups. Each playgroup consisted of 3 normally developing 3-year-olds, 3 normally developing 4-year-olds, and 2 mildly developmentally delayed 4-year-olds. The delayed children were matched with the normally developing older group for chronological age and with the normally developing younger group for developmental level. Each playgroup operated 5 days per week for 2 hours per day for a 4-week period. During that time, the peer-related social and play interactions of each child were videotaped, and peer sociometric ratings were obtained at the completion of each playgroup. Analyses of social participation and individual social behavior measures revealed that the analogue playgroup setting was appropriate for evaluating peer interactions, as expected developmental patterns emerged despite the presence of children heterogeneous with respect to chronological age and developmental status. The existence of a deficit in peer-related social interactions for mildly delayed children was supported in this investigation--a deficit that could not be attributed to reputational factors, the unavailability of responsive peers, inadequate matching procedures, unusual sample characteristics, or similar factors. Selected observational measures, peer preference patterns during free play, and peer sociometric ratings also indicated that the delayed children were perceived to be less competent and of lower social status. However, despite their relative isolation, important developmental opportunities were available for mildly delayed children in the mainstreamed playgroups. Possible processes responsible for these outcomes were discussed.

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.

Young children with developmental (cognitive) delays experience unusual difficulties in establishing relationships with their peers and developing friendships. A conceptual model of children's peer-related social competence is presented by identifying information-processing and emotional regulation processes governing the production of social strategies occurring during social tasks. Contemporary family factors and children's cognitive, communicative, and behavioral characteristics that influence the development of these processes are discussed and form the framework for designing intervention programs to promote children's peer-related social competence. The interplay between the fields of child development and developmental disabilities is emphasized.

No abstract