What is an Early Intervention Programme? An Early Intervention Programme (EIP) is an individualized intervention plan that provides different types of early intervention services to children under three who have been diagnosed with specific/general developmental delays or with disabilities. The main objective of an Early Intervention Programme is to provide crucial and appropriate intervention to support the children’s developmental needs and assist their parents and/or family in taking care of them. Before a child is placed under an Early Intervention Programme, a multidisciplinary evaluation or assessment must be carried out to determine the child’s developmental status, level of functioning, and provide a diagnosis. In general, children who are suspected of possible developmental delay, or disability are referred by physicians and health related professionals to the programme. The referred children are assessed in several areas of development, namely, cognitive, communication, physical, social-emotional and adaptive behaviours. The multidisciplinary team would use a combination of standardized instruments and procedures, including a formal interview with parents to assess their children’s overall developmental status. Wherever necessary, a complete health assessment should be completed by the children’s primary caregiver. The following are services that are usually offered by a standard Early Intervention Programme:
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