Strengthening Early Childhood Special Education through Integrated Professional and Interagency Support
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55080/jpn.v5i3.231Keywords:
Early Childhood Special Education, Implementation Support, Professional Support, Family-Centred SupportAbstract
This study aims to identify and synthesize the forms of professional, organizational, family, and interagency support that contribute to the implementation of Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE), as well as to examine how these supports are accessed, coordinated, and sustained. This study employed a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Relevant studies published between 2021 and 2026 were systematically identified from Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, PubMed, PsycINFO, and Education Source, with Google Scholar and reference-list searches as supplementary sources. A total of 32 studies met the eligibility criteria and were included in the final synthesis. Data were analyzed using thematic synthesis through coding, categorization, and interpretation of findings related to the four dimensions of support. The findings revealed four major themes: professional capacity and implementation support; organizational conditions and inclusive implementation; family access, equity, and responsiveness; and interprofessional and interagency coordination and continuity. The synthesis further identified a conceptual continuum consisting of availability, accessibility, responsiveness, coordination, and continuity. These findings indicate that the availability of training, resources, services, and collaboration alone does not guarantee effective ECSE implementation without accessible, responsive, coordinated, and sustainable support. This study concludes that effective ECSE implementation requires an integrated support ecosystem in which professional, organizational, family, and interagency dimensions function interdependently. The proposed continuum provides a conceptual framework for understanding the development of support effectiveness, although further empirical testing is required.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Mohd Zul Husni Bin Che Husain, Mohd Aderi Bin Che Noh, Diani Mardiana Binti Mat Zin, Syar Meeze Bin Mohd Rashid
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