Running head: EARLY INTERVENTION IN CHILDREN

Early Intervention in Children

with Learning Disabilities and Delays

Joshua McLean

Nevada State College

Early Intervention in Children

with Learning Disabilities and Delays

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Many different studies have been conducted on the use of early childhood intervention on

children with different learning disabilities and delays. Early intervention has been used for a

variety of different learning disabilities and delays. Early intervention is described as services

and supports available for young children with developmental disabilities and delays. Early

intervention programs are used both in school and at home. One of the most common uses of

early intervention is in children born with autism. Tews (2007) conducted studies on the use of

early intervention in children with autism. He found it to be highly successful in many different

areas of improvement. Another huge learning delay that while different from autism, still affects

many children, is the speech and communication delay. Early intervention and speech therapy

are a huge way to help these kids improve their speech and communication skills. Olisaemeka

and Edozie (2015) found that having a disorder affecting the speech can be fixed through the use

of early intervention and speech therapy. The ability to communicate is crucial to be able to

function and live a normal life. One of the most important uses of early intervention is for

children with emotional and behavioral disorders. Behavioral and emotional disorders can lead to

much worse things if they are never fixed or paid attention to. The early intervention and therapy

allows these children to get help to learn how to control their anger and learn to behave in things

like school and their house. Early intervention is an important aspect of today's society due

to the growing number of children being born with autism or other delays/disabilities.

Early intervention is allowing kids to learn to be able to function independently. Early

intervention offers help in a variety of categories in every state and territory, primarily

with children with autism, with speech and physical therapy, and with emotional and

behavioral disorders.

Discussion
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Learning disabilities and delays are something that has continued to increase

throughout the last couple of decades. While the number of kids suffering from these delays

and disabilities has increased, the resources that parents and teachers have to help these

kids has also gotten better. Things like early intervention have been huge in helping kids

get to a functioning level. This resource is offered in almost every school district, and helps

with a variety of issues. Early intervention is used for different types of delays like speech

and communication and behavioral and emotional issues. The use of these resources is

necessary to allow these kids to be able to function independently one day. It is important

that the parents are also involved in the intervention to get a better understanding of the

things they can do to make this process go smoother and be more successful. The goal with

early intervention is to eventually help kids cope with their disabilities and delays or be

able to function completely independently.

Learning Disabilities and Delays

Learning disabilities and delays lead to children not being successful in school and

struggling to maintain healthy relationships in everyday life. One of the most common

learning disabilities is autism. Studies have shown things like how autism has a direct effect

on the children’s brains. Without the brain properly functioning, the person will not be able

to properly function. While autism is a very common disability, there are many other delays

that exist. One of the most common examples of this would be something like a speech or

communication delay. That could be a variety of things like stuttering, or not being able to

pronounce certain letters. In some extreme cases, some children may be non-verbal.

Early intervention in children with autism. Autism is a “neurodevelopmental

disorder that affects the functioning of the brain and consequently other areas of development in
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an unstable and irregular way” (Lygeraki 2019). The autism disorder is something that has

grown and begun to affect many more children over the past couple of decades. Tews (2007)

described children with the autism disorder as lacking a theory of mind. Theory of mind

essentially means the ability to process emotions and understand why people respond to things

the way they do. As of lately, data has shown that one in every sixty children will be diagnosed

with some form of autism. Raches, Hines, and Tomlin (2019) found that it is very important to

have an accurate diagnosis of autism at an early age so that things like intervention and therapy

can begin. The younger the child starts intervention and therapy, the more successful it will be.

While diagnosis is important, the spectrum of autism disorder spans very far. Children who have

this disorder can all suffer from different degrees and issues. Early intervention is essential in

basically every child who is diagnosed with autism. Through early intervention work, children

can learn to function and process information properly so that they can live independently. The

goal is to bring the children up to speed of the peers their age.

Speech early intervention. One of the most common uses for early intervention would

be for things like speech and communication issues. Many children are born with different types

of delays and disorders related to their speech. Early intervention allows these children to work

on their issues and grow to become stable and successful. It has been agreed that effective

communication is “fundamental to human development and plays a critical role during the

formative years of a child’s life” (Speech Language Pathologists 2019). The ability to

communicate is key in all children. Without the ability to communicate, the children will always

be set back. Almost all types of learning rely on the ability to communicate. Speech is something

that is important to all humans. Delays in it lead to many other issues in life. Without speech

humans would not be able to function at all. The situation of being non-verbal or having a
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communication issue is “frustrating and debilitating for the children involved, and stressful and

painful for their families” (Speech Language Pathologists 2019). Early intervention for speech

and physical therapy allows for the children to be able to function. Early intervention regarding

speech issues involves oral and mouth exercises focusing on the movement of the tongue, mouth,

and teeth. Working on these exercises trains kids to be able to speak and communicate

effectively. Parents seek early intervention to be able to set their kids up for a successful life, and

so they would be able to do things like get a job and live on their own. Early intervention for

speech therapy allows the children to not have to be dependent on their parents for the rest of

their lives. SLCN stands for social learning communication needs. In a study “Bercow (2008)

was confident that the majority of difficulties and delays in the acquisition of SLC could be

identified as early as the second year of life and emphasised the role of EY practitioners in this

regard” (Aubrey, Blackburn 2016). Identifying the issue of a speech delay at an age as early as

two years old is crucial. In all types of early intervention the earlier a child is diagnosed with

needing help, the easier the process will be. When SLCN was “reported within the study ranged

from children with mild to moderate, possibly transient delays and difficulties to those with more

severe and complex SLCN that were secondary to central nervous system damage and

consequent neuro-developmental disorders such as autism as well as children with EAL”

(Aubrey, Blackburn 2016). The brain controls all of our body’s functions. A direct link was

made to things like central nervous system damage and disorders like autism and speech delays.

Another huge use of early intervention in children with behavioral and emotional disorders.

Early intervention for emotional and behavioral disorders. Emotional and behavioral

issues in children is something that has continually grown in the past couple of decades as well.

These types of issues can come from many different things like genetics or trauma. It was found
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that “more than 10% of young children experience clinically significant mental health problems,

with rates of impairment and persistence comparable to those seen in older children” (Gleason,

Goldman, Yogman 2016). While ten percent may only seem like a small portion of children, this

is a very high number. This children can demonstrate issues in different things like “social

interactions, problematic parent–child relationships, physical safety, inability to participate in

child care without expulsion, delayed school readiness, school problems, and physical health

problems in adulthood” (Gleason, Goldman, Yogman 2016). Emotional and behavioral disorders

stems much farther than simply being angry. It is a much deeper issue that if not resolved can

lead to a numerous amount of other issues. While there are these issues, early intervention offers

a way to help these children. Early intervention for emotional and behavioral issues can include

things like “home visiting, parent groups, targeted addressing of basic needs, and videos to

enhance parental self-reflection skills and have demonstrated a range of outcomes related to

positive emotional, behavioral, and relationship development” (Gleason et al. 2016). Parents are

especially important when dealing with these issues. Through the help of the parents the children

can learn to control their anger and focus on tasks like school and out of school activities. The

intervention for this “take an approach that focuses on enhancing emotional and behavioral

regulation through specialized parenting tools and approaches” (Gleason et al. 2016). Learning to

control their emotions is crucial for children to be able to live “normal” lives.

Conclusions and Future Study

The number of children with learning disabilities and delays is only continuing to rise.

These delays range from things like autism to speech delays or emotional and behavioral issues.

Early intervention has become a very positive way for these children to get help so they can learn

and function. Early intervention is used in basically every child suffering from autism. Early
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intervention programs have been used to help kids who suffer from things like speech delays,

communication issues, or physical issues. Early intervention is also used for kids dealing with

things like emotional issues or behavioral disorders through programs with their parents. More

studies need to be done on the ability to diagnose these issues at a younger age. If the issues are

able to be diagnosed and recognized earlier, early intervention can begin right away. If early

intervention is done right away, the children will be more successful.

References

Blackburn, C., & Aubrey, C. (2016). Policy-to-Practice Context to the Delays and

Difficulties in the Acquisition of Speech, Language and Communication in the

Early Years. International Journal of Early Years Education, 24(4), 414–434.

Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1120398&authtype=sso&custid=s2892362&site=eh

ost-live&scope=site
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Gleason, M., Goldson, E., Yogman, M. (2016). Addressing Early Childhood

Emotional and Behavioral Problems. Retrieved from

https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/138/6/e20163025

Raches, C. M., Hines, E. N., & Tomlin, A. M. (2019). Early Identification of

Autism Spectrum Disorder: Navigating Uncertainty on the Journey toward an

Answer. ZERO TO THREE, 39(6), 13–20. Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1222674&authtype=sso&custid=s2892362&site=eh

ost-live&scope=site

Speech Language Pathologists and Early Intervention for Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers.

(n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.speechpathologygraduateprograms.org/early-

intervention/
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