Page 4136 - Week 13 - Thursday, 31 October 2013
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Sometimes this lack of clarity about benefit or difficulty in measuring benefit can mean early intervention services are not as readily funded as they ought to be or that they are more susceptible to funding cuts, because when the service is withdrawn, most people do not notice the immediate impact. It means that, as policymakers, we need to have an ongoing commitment to early intervention and remember the research that continues to support its importance.
In regards to early intervention programs that focus on children’s development, one of the main reasons the research supports intervening is that children under eight years of age are particularly responsive to clinical intervention. This is biological. Their neuroplasticity means their brains are ripe for learning new ways of doing things. The years between zero and five are especially important. We all know the astounding development a child demonstrates during these years. In fact, it is in these years that we can lay down those patterns of behaviour and cognitive function that serve our children well throughout their schooling. It is for these reasons that intervening early is so important under so many circumstances.
For example, a child who is identified through screening as having a hearing loss gains an extra year of quality language development if that problem is identified at two instead of three years. Further, a child who is identified as being in a deprived environment can gain such an opportunity in regards to their plain cognitive development if their parents are brought into a play group or parenting group or connected in with other families.
It is obviously not just about having enough services; it is about early intervention being targeted to the right children and young people with the right service at the right time. In the area of young people we know there are some key milestones and life points of increased risk and, therefore, they should be considered areas of increased resourcing. The ages of eight to 14, often referred to as the middle years, are such a risk. Advances in neuroscience over the past few years have brought to light a wealth of understanding about the growing and changing nature of adolescent brains. It is a time of profound change.
Adolescents are making decisions and have mature bodies but have immature nervous systems. Behaviour at this age is less adequately controlled. We know that in the first year of high school and then again in year nine there is increased risk of social isolation and learning difficulties becoming entrenched patterns that often manifest as truancy, alienation and poor educational and employment outcomes in later life.
This is a time when coaches, school counsellors and youth workers can be a vital bridge to improved outcomes later in life. It is another of those life points where there is an increased risk and, therefore, should be considered for increased resourcing. There are many, many more key points in a person’s life where early intervention has been recognised as effective, but the truth is that it can be needed at any time.
I mention the strengthening families initiative Minister Burch spoke about this morning. This project epitomises many of the principles of early intervention, even though many of the families targeted would have ongoing services over a long period.
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