Resumo

FRANCO, Vitor; VAZ, Leonor  e  LEAL, Sandrina. The importance of soft skills in the work of early childhood intervention professionals. Rev. Port. de Educação [online]. 2023, vol.36, n.1, e23013.  Epub 18-Maio-2023. ISSN 0871-9187.  https://doi.org/10.21814/rpe.24851.

The shift from a stimulation perspective of early intervention in childhood to a family-centered approach implies a significant change in the practice of professionals, at the technical level and in their interactions and transactions with the child and the family. Technical skills and personal characteristics are intertwined, and the intervention represents a real helping relationship. Soft skills have been investigated within the scope of various professions and careers and their importance has been underlined. However, this is a pioneering study that seeks to understand how Early Intervention (EI) professionals also value these non-technical dimensions. The study was carried out with 247 professionals from teams of the National Early Intervention System, who gave their opinion on the importance of soft skills for their practice, through a questionnaire with 48 items. The results point to the valorization of all skills identified in the literature, with empathy, active listening and teamwork being particularly relevant. The valuation of soft skills according to the variables age, gender, education and experience was analyzed, with the results showing that there are only very occasionally significant differences. The results are relevant for a new way of conceiving and organizing the training of EI professionals, based on the development of skills. They show how important it is for theoretical knowledge about child development and intervention models to be combined with the promotion of personal skills required by the relational nature of their work.

Palavras-chave : Soft skills; early intervention; disability; professional development; help relationship..

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