Abstract:

Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) is internationally guided by three core principles: family-centered practice, transdisciplinary teamwork, and interventions embedded in children’s natural daily contexts. As Latvia is in the process of developing a national ECI system, observational data are crucial for understanding how these principles manifest in real-life professional practice. This study examines ECI delivery through two hospital-based observations and three community-based Portage observations.

Hospital-based observations revealed a predominantly clinical, structured, and professionally distanced approach. In two sessions, specialists focused on assessing the child and gathering developmental information from the parent; although parents were present and cooperative, the interaction remained formal and emotionally neutral. A further observed session involved direct work with the child, carried out by the specialist(s) present in that setting. This session showed task-focused procedures with limited opportunities for parental modelling or explanation. Across all hospital observations, transdisciplinary elements appeared primarily during the initial information-gathering stage and were less evident once direct work with the child commenced.

In contrast, all three Portage observations demonstrated consistent parent participation and active engagement. Parents were integrated into the intervention process, observed techniques in real time, and applied strategies with guidance from the specialist. The interaction style was responsive, supportive, and explicitly connected to everyday routines, reflecting natural-context intervention and family partnership more fully.

Together, these findings illustrate substantial contrasts between institutional and community-based ECI environments in Latvia. While hospital settings display procedural coordination, they provide limited opportunities for parental involvement and ongoing transdisciplinary collaboration. Portage sessions, meanwhile, operationalize family-centered and natural-context principles more robustly. These insights offer timely evidence for strengthening Latvia’s emerging ECI system.

Keywords:

Early Childhood Intervention, Family-Centered Practice, Transdisciplinary Teamwork, Natural Environments, Observational Study, Latvia, Parent Engagement.