Early Childhood Educators and the Early Identification of Additional Needs in Early Years Settings

Abstract

Early intervention has been recognised internationally as essential for children with additional needs, in order to achieve optimal development. To obtain early intervention an assessment is required, and the earlier a child is assessed, the greater the impact any early intervention will have. Many additional needs go undetected in the early years however, and a child’s needs are often first identified by their early childhood educators while they are in preschool. This is a child’s first time in an educational setting with same aged peers and differences in normative development can quickly become apparent to experienced educators. The pathway to diagnosis from this point however is often unclear and interaction between services can be lacking. This study aims to examine the process of identification of need by early childhood educators in Ireland and to explore how this process affects access to support for children with additional needs. The data was collected using a survey method, with a sample size of 504 participants, working as early childhood educators in preschool settings in Ireland. The research was mainly quantitative in nature, however a qualitative element was derived from the analysis of the participants’ comments. Quantitative data was collected and analysed using Qualtrics software while qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis. The research findings indicate that early childhood educators play a significant role in identifying additional needs in children in their settings. However the evidence also suggests that due to a number of significant factors, children without severe needs are not receiving timely assessments and early intervention supports. Factors include a lack of interactions between services, a lack of perceived professionalism of early childhood educators, long waiting lists, and a general lack of public awareness of the value of early intervention. The findings of this study highlight the need for interaction between early intervention services and early years settings and the need for a standardised developmental screening system, involving early childhood educators. Keywords: early childhood educator, preschool, additional needs, identification of need, disabilities, early intervention