Early intervention in childhood, being and being between children and adults: The point of view of families

Abstract

To broaden the reflection on the role of the early intervention professional in childhood, we present part of the results of two investigations, developed within the scope of a postgraduate degree in special education and a doctorate in educational sciences. Both studies are part of a paradigm of qualitative and exploratory nature, considering the "voices" of families, obtained from semi-structured individual and collective interviews (focus group).  The results show that the families consider that these professionals develop complex and multiple interventions, requiring a high degree of involvement and a wide field of action and responsibilities with children, families, and teams (pedagogical, therapeutic, and medical).  They highly value their personal and relational qualities, based on an ethic of care that includes listening, attention, comfort, understanding, respect, availability, authenticity, flexibility, and responsiveness. They refer to technical qualities, namely the specific knowledge of their disciplinary areas, and pay special attention to the knowledge of the ecology of families, training, professional experience, articulation, collaboration, and networking. The centrality of its action should be to cross boundaries between children, families, and professionals, adopting an inclusive perspective, to ensure that everyone, and each one, feel valued, welcomed, and respected.  Despite recognizing the importance of the practices of these professionals, the families affirm that the services provided are insufficient because of the complexity of the intervention, identifying a set of constraints and listing some recommendations.

DOI:https://doi.org/10.56238/devopinterscie-272