HYPOTHESIS AND THEORY article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health Policy
This article is part of the Research TopicNeurodevelopmental Disabilities in Childhood and Adolescence: Innovative Policy and ProgramsView all 7 articles
Proposal for a new conceptual framework to guide early intervention professionals in a transcultural context
Provisionally accepted
- 1Montreal University, Montreal, Canada
- 2Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire en readaptation du Montreal metropolitain, Montreal, Canada
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Background: Parental engagement in early intervention programs for children with neurodevelopmental conditions is complex, particularly within transcultural contexts. Objective: This study examines current models of parental engagement to identify key factors that support inclusive approaches and to develop a flexible framework that addresses the realities of immigrant families raising children with neurodevelopmental conditions in transcultural settings. Methods: A critical nonsystematic review was conducted to integrate parental engagement models across multiple fields, aiming to develop a theoretical tool to guide a doctoral research project. Results: We found that current models often ignore transcultural realities and power dynamics. Therefore, we propose the Child-Parent-Professional Partnership framework, which provides a holistic ecological approach sensitive to the realities of immigrant parents. Limitations: The findings presented are inherently tentative and serve as a foundational basis for the empirical research design subsequently undertaken by the first author. Accordingly, the present article is intended to serve as an initial conceptual exploration, rather than a definitive analysis, and further empirical investigation is necessary to validate these primary insights and extend their scope. Conclusions: The proposed framework provides a comprehensive view of the influences affecting parental engagement in transcultural contexts, emphasizing the importance of an anti-oppressive approach to foster partnership that are attuned to the realities of immigrant parents. The originality of this framework lies in its integration of theoretical and practical approaches, offering both a conceptual lens to understand complex dynamics and a foundation for implementing authentic partnerships.
Keywords: early intervention1, partnership2, parental engagement3, transcultural context4, neurodevelopmental conditions5, anti-oppressive approach6, immigrant parents7
Received: 20 Aug 2025; Accepted: 24 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Elias and Bogossian. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Berna Elias
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