Early intervention-fact or fiction?

A group of 50 cerebral-palsied children seen in one clinic between 1952 and 1965 were compared with a second group of 50 seen between 1952 and 1978. The latter group had all been included in a developmental enrichment program at the clinic. The results showed that the later-treated group had had more surgical operations than the earlier group, and at younger ages; that they were able to sit and stand earlier; and that eventually they had greater ambulatory ability. Early intervention also improved family relationships, and parents and siblings became more involved in the team approach to the children's therapy.