Disability Inclusive ECD

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) defines persons with disabilities as people “who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments, which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.” A disability is neither purely biological nor social, but an interaction between health conditions and environmental and personal factors.  Some children are born with disabilities, while others may experience disability due to illness, injury or poor nutrition.  The complex interaction between a health condition or impairment and environmental and personal factors means that each child’s experience of disability is different.

While the identification of children with developmental delays or disabilities is critical for the development of policies, strategic planning and service provision, it is important to acknowledge that children with disabilities may not consider themselves as disabled. Working with children with disabilities requires carefully tailored approaches. Stigma and discrimination are among the most disabling factors requiring attention and solutions. Labelling a child solely in terms of a health condition or learning limitations should be avoided. They are children first and aspire to participate in family and peer-group activities. Strengths-based approaches and approaches that consider developmental and functioning profiles are more likely to foster development, rather than deficit-based approaches. Additionally, research supports the finding that inclusion does not solely benefit children with disabilities, but rather inclusion has a positive impact on all children–regardless of their abilities.

Despite being more vulnerable to developmental risks, young children with disabilities are often overlooked in programs and services designed to ensure child development.  As a result, most children with disabilities do not receive the specific supports required to meet their rights and needs.  Many children with disabilities are not provided the same quality education, nurturing care, health care, and social protection as their peers.  Children with disabilities and their families are confronted by barriers including inadequate legislation and policies, negative attitudes, inadequate services (including education), lack of proper resources, lack of accessible environments, and lack of adequate funding for necessary interventions from the government.  If children with developmental delays and/or disabilities and their families are not provided with timely and appropriate early intervention, nurturing care, support and protection, their difficulties can become more severe—often leading to lifetime consequences, increased poverty, and profound exclusion.  

When children, their families and communities are afforded appropriate intervention and support, right from the start, they develop, prosper, and contribute to societies in significant ways. Using a twin-track approach is of upmost importance here; this involves combining disability mainstreaming with disability-specific interventions that are needed to achieve the full inclusion, participation, health, and wellbeing of people with disabilities.  These targeted interventions are developed to identify the specific needs of children with disabilities while also ensuring that disability inclusion is mainstreamed throughout policies and services from birth onward.  With this two-way approach we simultaneously enhance the strength, integrity, and quality of systems serving ALL children, those with disabilities and those without.

This thematic page provides resources for those interested in understanding how to help children with disabilities during early childhood, and thereby enhancing the quality of ECD interventions for all children.