Chapter 2 - Principles of Early Intervention

1. The primary goal of EI is to support families in promoting their child's optimal development and to facilitate the child's participation in family and community activities.
2. The focus of EI is to encourage the active participation of families in the therapeutic process by imbedding intervention strategies into family routines. It is the parents who provide the real early intervention by creatively adapting their child care methods to facilitate the development of their child, while balancing the needs of the rest of their family.
3. EI requires a collaborative relationship between families and providers, with equal participation by all those involved in the process. An on-going parent-professional dialogue is needed to develop implement, monitor, and modify therapeutic activities.
4. Intervention must be linked to specific goals that are family-centered, functional, and measurable. Intervention strategies should focus on facilitating social interaction, exploration, and autonomy.
5. Intervention shall be integrated into a comprehensive plan that encourages transdisciplinary activities and avoids unnecessary duplication of services. The plan shall be built around family routines, with written home activity programs to encourage family participation in therapeutic activities on a daily basis.
6. Intervention should be monitored periodically to assure that the strategies implemented are successful in achieving outcomes.
7. Children and their families in the Early Intervention System deserve to have services of highest quality possible. High standards will be set for the training and credentialing of administrative and intervention staff. Training, supervision, and technology will be focused to achieve excellence.

Adopted by the Illinois Interagency Council on Early Intervention (IICEI) - October 4, 2001

Rev. 11/01/2015