Early Intervention: Cross-Cultural Experiences with a Mediational Approach

Aid agencies, including the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and Redd Barna, have supported research projects on early intervention with high-risk children in various countries. This work discusses implementation, intervention, and outcomes of the Mediational Intervention for Sensitizing Caregivers (MISC) in Israel, Sweden, the United States, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, and India. Whereas most interventions are designed to enhance children's skills or abilities, the objective of the MISC approach is to create behaviors that are essential for future learning: concentration, comprehension, association and connection of past, present, and future experiences, the seeking of success or approval, self-evaluation, and planning. The book explains how teachers, caregivers, and parents can be trained to identify and emphasize the positive aspects of their interaction with children. It also discusses variables in the objectives, processes, and outcomes that should be considered prior to intervention with young childrenin different cultures and with special-needs populations. An index is provided.