Inclusive ECCD: - Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care and ...

New Organizations
International
Society for Early
Intervention (ISEI)
A new organization has recently been created,
called the International Society for
Early Intervention (ISEI). This organisation
was begun by people who work with children
with special needs, and it appears to
have quite an academic focus. However, in
the description of the organisation it
appears to have a broader mandate than
one which is strictly academic. The
<strong>Consultative</strong> <strong>Group</strong> has joined ISEI so that
we can follow developments and share
with them what we have to offer. The following
description comes from their Web
Site.
Purpose of the Society: Issues relevant
to early intervention transcend national
boundaries. The rapidly expanding knowledge
base of early intervention is the product
of contributions from researchers, clinicians,
program developers, and policymakers
from numerous countries.
Communication within and across national
boundaries of these advances has improved
in recent years due to technological innovations,
greater availability of journals and
reports, as well as increased interest in
international organizations. Yet international
early intervention collaborations and
sharing of knowledge are far from adequate.
In part, this state-of-affairs reflects
continued difficulties related to communication
between specialists representing
numerous disciplines, communication
between basic and applied scientists, and
communication between researchers and
those concerned with the practical implementation
of programs. Moreover, the tendency
of international organizations to
focus on a specific group of children, such
as individuals with established intellectual
disabilities or children at risk for developmental
problems due to prenatal exposure
to alcohol, does not easily permit early
interventionists to address the critical
issues that transcend disability or risk status.
In view of this, the primary purpose of
the ISEI is to provide a framework and
forum for professionals from around the
world to communicate about advances in
the field of early intervention. The membership
of ISEI is composed of basic and
clinical researchers relevant to the field of
early intervention representing a diverse
array of biomedical and behavioral disciplines,
as well as clinicians and policy-makers
in leadership positions. As such, linkages
between basic and applied research,
interdisciplinary collaborations, and connections
between research and practice
will be emphasized. Specific functions of
the ISEI include publication of the ISEI
Newsletter that will include summaries of
recent advances, provide a forum for controversial
issues, and contain interviews
with key individuals. To further communication
and research collaborations, the ISEI
will sponsor international conferences,
provide information about conferences relevant
to the field of early intervention,
publish a membership directory, and establish
an information exchange mechanism
through the Internet. From time-to-time,
the ISEI will publish monographs of special
interest to its members.
Organization: The ISEI membership is
organized on a country-by-country basis.
Although membership is individual, this
structure is designed to take advantage of
existing within-country networks and to
complement established professional activities
and organizations. At the present
time, it is not anticipated that dues will be
required, although a nominal charge for
mailings may be needed as the membership
expands.
With regard to membership, ISEI now has
approximately 250 members representing
30 countries. To simplify the application
process, it is now possible to download the
application to ISEI from their Web Site
and then forward it to the address below
for processing. Please do not hesitate to
encourage colleagues who you think would
benefit from membership in ISEI to join.
For more information contact: Michael J.
Guralnick, Ph.D., Director, Center on
Human Development and Disability,
Professor of Psychology and Pediatrics,
University of Washington, Box 357920,
Network Notes COORDINATORS’ NOTEBOOK, ISSUE 22
75