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Strengthening Social Work Approaches Through Advancing Knowledge of Early Childhood Intervention

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Abstract

Early childhood professionals—social workers, educators, speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, pediatricians, and others—create the foundation for a life-long duration of experiences that families, who have children with disabilities, will have with various professional groups. The nature of the early childhood interventionists' interaction, treatment, services or supports of the child and the attitudes conveyed to families during these critical early years may be a significant factor in the willingness of families and young adults to continue to pursue therapeutic and supportive services. With insights into early intervention best practices, social workers are likely to find themselves in a preferred position to plan appropriate family-focused intervention strategies that may encourage success and prevent complications or a worsening of specific initial conditions among children with disabilities.

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Block, A.W., Block, S.R. Strengthening Social Work Approaches Through Advancing Knowledge of Early Childhood Intervention. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal 19, 191–208 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015575914314

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