Early Intervention Strategies by Parents and Teachers of Children with Special Needs

This study explored the early intervention strategies by parents and teachers of children with special needs. Using a qualitative methodology, specifically the narrative enquiry approach, the data were gathered from I0 participants through an in -depth interview. The ten participants were purposely selected based on the following inclusion criteria, for teachers: regular-permanent SPED teachers, with at least one year of teaching experience in SPED, and for parents, they have an autistic child enrolled in SPED. The data were recorded, transcribed, validated, and analyzed using Creswell’s method of analyzing lived experiences. These data revealed four themes, namely: (I) Opening Doors: Strategies for Early Language Intervention for Children with Special Needs, (2) Empowering Connections: Effective Early Intervention Strategies for Special Needs Children’s Social Skills, (3) Emotional Empowerment: Early Intervention Strategies for Promoting Emotional Well-being in Children with Special Educational Needs, (4) Early Steps to Self-Efficiency: Early Intervention strategies for SPED Children’s Self-Help Skills. Each theme has its subtheme and is discussed thoroughly. Recommendations point to the need to implement an educative process which is collaborative and cooperative effort. Every sector has to take responsibility and commit so that the child receives the education he rightfully deserves. May this undertaking open more frontiers for children with special needs, and in the near future, there will be additional studies and research to the other levels and kinds of “being special”.