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Posters Advancing Comprehensive Early Childhood Intervention
Session 2
ECI SERVICE DELIVERY Topic - ECI Practices, Models, and Systems p2.09 Make it a Childhood Memory and Not a Therapeutic Memory: Young People’s Experience of Early Childhood Intervention in Australia Presenting Author: Christine Imms (Australia) Affiliation: Healthy Trajectories, Department of Pediatrics, The University of Melbourne, VIC, Australia Co-Authors: Nicole Kozelj, Francesca Lami, Carolyn Pinto, Meghan Wilson, Miriam Yates Young people with developmental concerns, delays or disability have a right to be heard on issues that are pertinent to their lives. Understanding their perspectives provides essential information for continued improvement of early childhood intervention (ECI) services. To explore the experiences of young people with developmental delay or disability who received ECI services in Australia, during their childhood and to understand their views on “best practice” in ECI. Semi-structured interviews (n = 21, participants: 15- 30 years, varying disabilities) were conducted and data were analyzed using an inductive qualitative method. Six themes described perceptions of longer-term outcomes, and views on what encapsulates “best practice.” Themes related to rights, being understood, focusing on function, providing holistic support and attending to positive and negative impacts on the child and family. Insights from young people need to be prioritized to inform policies, guidelines, and education initiatives to optimize outcomes. p2.10 Maryland’s PRIDE: Benefits of Embedding Early Intervention Components Within a NICU and NICU Follow-Up Program The Maryland’s Premature Infant Developmental Enrichment (PRIDE) program embeds early intervention into the University of Maryland neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and NICU Follow-Up Program for Baltimore City residents. To determine the impact of PRIDE, we compared premature infants of low- income families who participated in the Baltimore City Infants and Toddlers Program (BITP) with and without PRIDE. Data was drawn from the BITP database and a total of 956 premature infants were included in the study. Our findings indicate that PRIDE offers advantages in terms of younger referral age, longer length of stay in the program, and less parent withdrawal. A larger percentage of PRIDE infants were eligible for special education preschool services under Part B of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act at age 3 years. These findings provide support for the relative benefits of PRIDE to the traditional system of early intervention referral, evaluation, and service coordination. Presenting Author: Brenda Hussey-Gardner (USA) Affiliation: University of Maryland School of Medicine
p2.11 Service Delivery Model: Zagreb Center for Independent Living Presenting Author: Vanja Milošević (Croatia) Affiliation: Zagreb Center for Independent Living Co-Authors: Martina Biškup Stepinac, Sanja Morić, Vlatka Tucelj Omeragić
Our Center’s primary goal is to ensure the accessibility of early intervention for children and their families through multiple locations spread across the city, offering timely, professional support to enable the best possible development and social integration. Access to the Center's services is obtained by submitting a request to the Social Welfare Institute. The Center’s social worker forwards the received request to the assessment team. The assessment team conducts an assessment and decides on appropriate therapy. The Center offers a range of therapeutic services, including speech therapy, psychological support, physiotherapy, educational rehabilitation specialist support and occupational therapy, all tailored to the specific needs of each child through a transdisciplinary approach. To ensure continuous assistance for children and their families throughout the entire developmental process, the Center provides group support for parents, ensures a mobile team as transitional support and collaborates with educational institutions, healthcare facilities, and other relevant organizations. p2.12 Service Delivery Model to Optimize Developmental Potential of Children At-Risk: A National Approach Presenting Author: Ong Lin Xin (Singapore) Affiliation: KK Women's and Children's Hospital Co-Authors: Rajni Parasurum, Chan Qing Rong, Nurshabana Binte Senari, Ong Lin Xin Brain development during the first few years of life, from conception to early childhood, forms an important foundation for future learning and healthy social-emotional development. Maternal mental wellness and the in-utero environment have an impact on fetal growth and brain development. Neuroimaging studies have further identified changes in the brain's structure and function associated with poverty. The provision of safe, secure, and nurturing environments during early childhood is critical in developing secure attachment and future learning foundations. Exposure to biological and psychosocial risk factors during early childhood negatively impacts the developing brain and compromises the developmental trajectory. Cumulative exposure to adverse childhood experiences widens the disparity. Early integrated intervention from conception and early childhood is crucial in reducing inequalities and optimizing the developmental potential of children at risk. In this poster, we present our service model from conception to early childhood in a nationwide approach to optimize the development of children at risk of disparity.
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