ASPECTS OF MULTI-SENSORY ENVIRONMENTS IN FAMILY-ORIENTED EARLY CHILDHOOD INTERVENTION

Zuzana Fábry Lucká¹, Erika Tichá²

¹Dr, Faculty of Education, Comenius University, Bratislava, SLOVAKIA, zuzana.lucka@gmail.com

²Dr, Centre of Early Childhood Education, Bratislava, SLOVAKIA, ticha@centravi.sk

 

Abstract

The paper discusses the aspects of multi-sensory environment supporting development of children in the context of family-oriented early childhood intervention for children with risk development or disabilities and their families. It presents the relationships between sensory perception, impairment and its support in a multi-sensory prepared environment, and the role of the professional case manager working with the family in early childhood intervention services providing this type of support. The authors present the outputs from their research in the conditions of the Slovak Republic conducted in a prepared multi-sensory environment with several families receiving the social service of early childhood intervention. Through a qualitative analysis of interventions aimed at supporting sensory perception of children whose abilities are impaired in this area, the researchers explored the supportive aspects of multi-sensory environments and the benefits this type of intervention can bring to the child and their family. The concept of early childhood intervention considers the child's family system and provides support not only for the development of the child but also for the needs of the family as a whole in the context of the family roles, everyday routines, inner and outer resources as well as potential barriers. The intervention is provided in a partnership of the family with a multi-agency supportive collaborative team of professionals from the health care, education and social sector. Therefore, in the family-oriented early childhood intervention services, the multi-sensory environment becomes also a place to support parental competencies so that the parent, as the greatest expert on their child, has the opportunity to discover their competencies, strengthen them and transfer them for the use in everyday activities. The paper is a partial outcome of the project VEGA 1/0598/17 Evaluation of The Effective Factors of Multisensory Approaches in Therapeutic Education.

Keywords: multi-sensory play, early childhood intervention, family