Early intervention and early education has two main differences. The first difference is where the services are carried out. In early intervention the services are implemented in natural environments (Westling, n.d.). A natural environment is “. . . settings that are natural or typical for a same-aged infant or toddler without a disability, may include the home or community settings” (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, n.d.), such as parks or child care facilities. At the age three, a child with a disability is transitioned into early education. Early education is implemented in a school setting such as special centers or preschool class (Westling, n.d.).
The second difference focuses on educational plans. Early intervention is family focused and therefore the family and child have an Individualized family service plan (IFSP). “IFSPs focus on family priorities and needs and consider both the developmental intervention …show more content…
The biggest challenge that is faced in delivering early intervention services is poverty (Fox, Hanline, Woods, & Mickelson, 2014, p. 175). Children that live in poverty face low birth weight, malnutrition, abuse, and do not have sufficient medical care (Fox et al., 2014, p. 175). Those families receiving early intervention face other challenges such as foster care, multiple children with disabilities, and multiple risk factors (Fox et al.). Another