Early intervention for young children with developmental delay: the Portage approach

Abstract

It is now 20 years since the Portage Home Teaching model of early intervention was introduced into the UK. In this paper, an overview of the Portage Model and rationale is provided, achievements over the past two decades are noted and related research and evaluation studies are reviewed. A number of areas for future development are also highlighted. These include: issues of quality control; the multi-cultural dimension of Portage; multi-agency collaboration; professional training needs of Portage personnel; and influencing central government policy relating to families who have a young child with special needs.

The effect of adding a home program to weekly institutional-based therapy for children with undefined developmental delay: A pilot randomized clinical trial

“…11 Early childhood intervention has been shown to have a positive outcome in children with DD. 12,13 However, it is still unclear whether institutional-based services, home-based services or a combination of the two are the most beneficial for children and families.…”

Parent training for parents of children on the autism spectrum: a review

“…Examples of such programs are 'The Portage' program [29)], which has recently been modified for children on the AS by the National Portage Association, the 'EarlyBird' program [30], which was developed by the National Autistic Society for parents of newly diagnosed preschool children on the AS, the 'Stepping Stones Triple P -Positive Parenting Program' for parents of pre-adolescent children with a disability [31,32] and the 'Incredible Years Autism and Language Delay program-IY-ASLD' [33,34]. Other programs also exist which draw on a number of interventions but lack a specific name [35].…”

Interventions Provided by Parents for Children with Intellectual Disabilities in Low and Middle Income Countries

“…Cameron (1997) described the Portage Home Teaching model. It is an educational service for pre‐school children with developmental delay that utilizes weekly home visits by a trained home teacher (professional or lay volunteer).…”