CHAPTER 3 INCLUSION AS A CORE PRINCIPLE IN THE EARLY INTERVENTION SYSTEM

In the context of the Developmental Systems Model of early intervention, the principle of inclusion represents all efforts to maximize the participation of children and families in typical home and community activities (Guralnick, 2001a). Although inclusion is often thought of in the context of encouraging interactions between children with and without disabilities, it is conceptualized in the broadest possible manner as a core principle in the Developmental Systems Model. The ideological and philosophical rationales for a principle that encourages full participation of all children in community life are important in their own right, but failure to translate this principle into practice within the early intervention system will likely have numerous adverse consequences on children's development, including limiting the full range of stimulation that children can experience, restricting social and educational learning opportunities, and perhaps creating low expectations for achievement (Guralnick, 2001b). More specifically, inclusion emphasizes full involvement of the child in family routines and in social activities with relatives and friends, as well as taking advantage of the entire array of educational and recreational opportunities that communities have to offer (see Bruder, 2001; Dunst, 2001). Of importance, this principle has legal status with respect to the delivery of earl