Prioritising rehabilitation in early childhood for inclusive education: a call to action

Purpose This commentary examines the provisions for early childhood development (ECD) in the global action plan for rehabilitation published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) within the context of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for inclusive education. Methods The meeting reports of the WHO Rehabilitation 2030 for 2017 and 2019 and the related documents were reviewed along with ECD policy documents from WHO, UNICEF, UNESCO, and the World Bank. Results The importance of a life-course approach to rehabilitation for the health and wellbeing of persons with disabilities was highlighted in the Rehabilitation 2030. However, the critical and foundational role of rehabilitation in ECD for children with disabilities to facilitate inclusive education, especially in low- and middle-income countries as envisioned by the SDG 4.2, was not clearly addressed. Children under 5 years with developmental delays and disabilities who are not developmentally on track in health and psychosocial wellbeing require timely rehabilitation to ensure that they benefit from inclusive education. Conclusions The culture and practice of rehabilitation should be nurtured from infancy as an indispensable component of ECD to adequately prepare children with developmental disabilities for inclusive education and ensure effective rehabilitation services over the life course.

Automated summary

This commentary examines the provisions for early childhood development (ECD) in the global action plan for rehabilitation published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) within the context of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for inclusive education. The study found that while the importance of rehabilitation for the health and wellbeing of persons with disabilities was highlighted, there was a lack of clear provisions for the role of rehabilitation in ECD for children with disabilities, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The commentary emphasizes the need to nurture the culture and practice of rehabilitation from infancy as an essential component of ECD to adequately prepare children with developmental disabilities for inclusive education and ensure effective rehabilitation services over the life course.