Abstract
Early childhood intervention (ECI) has been defined as a system of coordinated services and resources for young children (ages 0 to 6) with disabilities or at risk for developmental delay and their families (e.g. Meisels & Shonkoff, 2000). Within a biopsychosocial approach, ECI aims to empower children and their environments in order to ensure children’s full participation and development in their natural settings. This chapter presents a research project designed to understand the contribution of the ICF-CY (WHO, 2007) as a procedure that operationalises the biopsychosocial approach to ECI in Portugal. First, ECI legislation and practices in Portugal are briefly described. Then the project’s goals, methods and main outcomes are presented, highlighting how the ICF-CY was used in the research. Finally, a case study illustrates how the ICF-CY can be used to support embedded intervention in mainstream settings.
| Original language | English |
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| Title of host publication | An Emergent Approach for Education and Care |
| Editors | Susana Castro |
| Place of Publication | London |
| Publisher | Routledge: Taylor & Francis Group |
| Publication status | Published - 2017 |