Child Development

A physical therapist massages a young boy by rolling him on an inflatable ball while another physical therapist steadies it. Early intervention
strategies, such as physical therapy, can help children overcome developmental disabilities. (Owen Franken/Corbis)

tains four basic principles: (1) the provision of a high-
quality early childhood education; (2) the promotion
of good health through the treatment of health prob-
lems and by providing children with good health
care; (3) the active participation of parents in the pro-
grams in which their children participate; and (4) the
use by families of social services in the community
when needed. Head Start has expanded over the
years and at the beginning of the twenty-first century
included the Early Start Program, which serves in-
fants and toddlers, and the American Indian Head
Start and Migrant Head Start Programs.

The Effectiveness of Early Intervention

Programs

Another well-known early intervention program
is the High/Scope Perry Preschool Study conducted
in Ypsilanti, Michigan, from 1962 to 1967. Few early
intervention programs have tracked the outcomes of
its participants as well as this study has. This program
divided African-American children born into poverty
and at-risk for failing in school into two groups. One
group participated in a high quality early interven-

tion program, one that had well-trained teachers and

a curriculum focusing on developmentally appropri-

ate activities; the other group received no early inter-

vention services. The immediate results and the

results over time have shown that the children receiv-

ing early intervention services were far more success-

ful than the children who did not. At age twenty-

seven, participants in the study who received early

intervention services were found to have a higher

level of income earned per month, a higher level of

education completed, a lower arrest rate, and a

higher home ownership rate than the children who

did not receive early intervention services. Over the

lifetime of the participants, project researchers esti-

mate that society has received more than $7 for every

$1 invested.

The Effectiveness of Early Intervention

Services for Children with Special Needs

The effectiveness of early intervention services

for children with special needs has been remarkable.

People with disabilities and the members of their fam-

ilies report that early intervention services increased

EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAMS 131