Clinical approaches to families in early intervention.
Clinical approaches to families with infants in early intervention programs require more sophisticated and individualized plans that have been traditionally available. Clinicians in early intervention programs, including those trained in child-oriented disciplines, will increasingly be expected to develop comprehensive family focused interventions. Empirical findings support the legislative mandate of PL99-457 in requiring that families have an active role in specifying the intervention services they require. In addition, the broader concept of risk that now includes multi-problem families also complicates the job of the early interventionist. As parents must learn to adapt to their infant's unique characteristics, early interventionists must adapt to the unique characteristics of each family with whom they are involved. To aid in this process, we apply the concept of a working alliance to the aspect of the parent-professional relationship that early interventionists must develop and maintain in providing empathic and individualized care to families in early intervention. Sensitivity to the families' unique characteristics, responsitivity to their concerns, positive connotation of parents' and infants' behavior, a nonjudgmental attitude, and a willingness to monitor one's feelings and responses elicited by the family are clinical principles essential for developing and maintaining the working alliance.
Zeanah
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Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Brown University Program in Medicine, Providence, RI.
McDonough
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D002661:Child Guidance Clinics; D003155:Community Mental Health Centers; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005196:Family Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000523:psychology; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000523:psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors