[A discussion of early intervention services from the perspective of the philosophy of family nursing].

About ten years ago in Taiwan, the government initiated early intervention for development-delayed children. For the purpose of early detection of latent cases and providing early intervention at the prime time for children, nurses are involved in the service, and their main contribution is in the screening procedure. Early intervention emphasizes the family-centered approach, the philosophy of which is the same as that of family nursing. With similar concerns as its axis, this article discusses the meaning and essential concepts or elements of early intervention practice, including the family assessment and individual family service plan (IFSP), home-based early intervention, family support, parent participation, parent education, etc. The hope is to improve nurses' understanding in order to enable them to bring into play a greater range of role functions when they participate in early intervention services in the future.

[Arduous navigation: the life story of a family raising a young child with Prader-Willi syndrome].

The purpose of this narrative research was to explore the life experience of a family with a son suffering from congenital Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). Difficulties associated with raising a PWS child led the mother to leave the family with her afflicted son. The author analyzed the story of this family and applied metaphors to describe the course of the family's life in terms of a "navigational map of life". This map included the six components of: 1. Leaving port (sailing toward an unknown future); 2. Facing a tsunami (undergoing a trial from God); 3. Striking a reef (a fragile boat in a vast ocean); 4. Isolated on an island (the interdependent relationship between mother and child); 5. Transformation (adjustment and starting over); and 6. Hoisting the sails (staying to the course of making dreams come true). In this study, the researcher served as the nu rse case manager and interacted with family members to provide health care, consultation and support as needed. The mother of this young PWS child has empowered herself, overcome her suffering and prepared herself well to face the challenges of the future.