Early Intervention Practices in China

Early intervention services to young children with developmental delays in China have experienced significant growth since 1978, the beginning of the period of Reform and Opening. This article described the present situation of early intervention practices in mainland China, framed around the key components and guiding principles of Guralnick's Developmental Systems Approach (DSA). The overarching purpose of this to overview is to develop a nationwide, integrated, and coordinated early intervention system, one that will develop in spite of the diversity inherent in the current practices and the dominant tradition of professionals as authority around the country. Extensive evidence demonstrates that early intervention practices in China have addressed some of the guiding principles of DSA and made significant progress in developing some components of DSA. Nevertheless, there still remains a great deal of work to be done to bring China's practices for the care and intervention of families and children up to the quality standards of the DSA for early intervention. Implications within the Chinese context for incorporating the key elements of DSA with strong connections between research, policy, and practices to further develop and strengthen early intervention system are discussed.