Collaborative problem solving in the context of early childhood intervention – the link between problems and goals

Abstract

Swedish Child and Youth Habilitation Services (C-YHS) for children with disabilities and their families' build on regular planning meetings involving families and professionals, and appointments and interventions implemented between meetings. This study explores the content of issues discussed at planning meetings, and the relation between content and activities implemented in everyday interventions. Longitudinal data from five families and their C-YHS-teams were used. Data were analyzed using conventional content analysis. The results illustrate a process with a high degree of correspondence between families' concerns, experienced problems, the formal decisions and the activities they generated. 'Concerns' were focused on the future, and related actions focused on supporting adults in the environment, mostly the parents, thus indirectly relating to the child. 'Problems' were focused on the current situation, and to a larger extent concerned actions directly related to the child. Although a family-centred service, interventions focused on the proximal environment, may be underreported.

Keywords

• families
• children with disabilities
• professionals
• early intervention
• collaboration