Multi-professional assessment and intervention of children with Special Educational Needs in their early years: The contribution of educational psychology

Abstract

This paper describes current professional practice in assessment and intervention with children under the age of 5, attending early years settings in England. Multi-professional focus groups held in three urban local authorities were used to explore the range of assessment and intervention practices in Children’s Centres, recently established within local authorities to improve the integration of early years services and the co-ordination of multi-agency support for families. Focus groups considered the range of early years assessments carried out by different professionals. Transcripts were analysed using a qualitative procedure and a range of issues identified. Themes that emerged included the variable nature and extent of change in practice as a result of Government initiatives, the impact on levels of general assessment activity and implications for assessment of pre-school children with special educational needs. Furthermore, themes relating to the operation of multi-agency working and the role of specialists within integrated teams in Children’s Centres were identified. The discussion explores the need to co-ordinate assessment practices across agencies, integrate these within cohesive intervention plans and routinely review outcomes using recognised evaluative frameworks. The authors consider the challenge to develop robust systems where psychology can contribute to the development of collaborative case conceptualisations between parents and other professionals.