The concept of early intervention was introduced in the United States in the 1960s. Specifically, early intervention is a special educational training tool for young children who are developing from normal and may deviate from normal, so that the intelligence (or ability) of these young children can be improved and certain life skills can be obtained. In the field of special education, early intervention mainly refers to the treatment and educational services provided to pre-school children with special needs. By helping young children to develop fully socially, emotionally, physically and cognitively, they can enter the normal education system or receive as little special education as possible.
The core theoretical basis for early intervention is the "brain plasticity theory" and the "critical period theory". Brain plasticity means that the brain can be modified by the environment or experience, with the ability to constantly shape its structure and function under the action of the external environment and experience. Brain plasticity manifests itself as the modifiability of brain cells. That is to say, although brain cells are predetermined by genetic factors to have special functions, brain cells can change their function under the influence of environmental factors. The critical period refers to a certain period when young children are most likely to learn a certain knowledge and skill or form a certain psychological characteristic, but after this period, the obstacles to development are difficult to make up. From the perspective of the psychological development of the whole life, the preschool period is a critical period of psychological development. In terms of phonetic learning, 2 to 4 years old is the critical period; in terms of mastering mathematical concepts, 5 to 5 and a half years old is the key period; before the age of 4 years, intellectual development is the most rapid; 4 to 5 years old insist on sexual behavior is the most rapid development.
With the continuous development of special education technology, the content of early intervention of preschool special children is gradually enriched, which requires the integration of these early intervention strategies to comprehensively serve special children, so the concept of "comprehensive intervention" is generated. Comprehensive intervention refers to the intervention of clinical professionals, special education professionals, psychology professionals, teachers, parents, etc., with one or more training methods as the mainstay, supplemented by one or more other training methods, in order to solve the cognitive, emotional, behavioral and other problems of preschool special children. Integrated interventions can promote the pooling of benefits between different professionals, can enhance the effectiveness of a single intervention, and can promote the development of one or more aspects of the ability of special infants and young children.
Preschool integrated education should adhere to the principle of early comprehensive intervention for special children. The most important task of preschool integration education is to lay the foundation for special children to enter ordinary schools, early intervention is an effective way to improve the continuous function of special children, and the improvement of individual functions can reduce the needs of special children to receive additional special education services in ordinary schools, and also provide a basis for improving academic performance. In addition, because young children have not yet fully completed socialization in the early stages of development, it is easier to accept the different characteristics of other young children and is less prejudiced. Therefore, early comprehensive intervention in an integrated educational environment is conducive to the early formation of ordinary children's acceptance of special children's values.