Research Backs Transformative Early Intervention

Researchers at the University of Chichester have produced findings that strengthen the case for holistic, family-centred early intervention for children under six with neuromotor disabilities.

After just six months into the UK Research and Innovation-funded Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with Dame Vera Lynn Children's Charity (DVLCC), hopes are high of identifying opportunities to improve access to early intervention services and strengthen support for families across the UK.

“For 25 years, we have believed that early intervention has the power to transform children's lives, but we have always wanted to back that belief with robust evidence,” said Glenys Creese, Chief Executive of Dame Vera Lynn Children's Charity. 

“This partnership with the University of Chichester is helping us demonstrate not only the remarkable progress children can make, but also the profound impact our holistic approach has on the whole family.

“We hope these findings will help shape future services so that more families can access the early support they need to give their children the very best start in life.”

University researcher and KTP Associate at Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity George Horne has been working directly within the DVLCC team, ensuring the research remains firmly grounded in the real experiences of the children and families the charity supports.

"Our initial research findings are only confirming what I have seen while based at the charity over the last eight months,” said George.

“The strength and communication gains that children achieve shatter parents expectations; and the parents themselves are better supported emotionally and instrumentally by the DVLCC team and other parents at the centre with shared experiences.

“I have no doubt our ongoing projects will continue to highlight the benefits of early intervention to support young children and their families."

One of the first outputs of the research was a rapid review of the scientific literature, which confirmed that holistic, individually tailored early intervention produces better outcomes than single-discipline approaches. The review also highlighted the lack of long-term, real-world evidence in this area, helping to shape the direction of the research that followed.

Drawing on eight years of anonymised service data from 111 children who had completed the DVLCC programme, the team produced a report demonstrating very large improvements across gross motor function, communication, social skills, self-care and emotional wellbeing.

These gains remained statistically significant even after accounting for age and development.

Alongside this, 10 years of parent testimonies were researched, revealing consistent themes of families arriving at the charity feeling isolated and unsupported before experiencing renewed hope, stronger family relationships and children exceeding the expectations set for them.

With the majority of the quantitative data collection now complete for the first stage of the project, the KTP team is recruiting families to take part in the next phase of research, which will focus on parents' and caregivers' experiences of seeking and receiving early intervention services through the NHS and wider public sector.

George is particularly interested in hearing from parents and caregivers of children under six with gross motor learning impairments, including cerebral palsy and rare genetic conditions such as Angelman syndrome, Down syndrome and Rett syndrome.

If you are interested in sharing your experience (anonymously), please contact George on George.horne@dvlcc.org.uk