About

OVERVIEW

The Homeostasis-Enrichment-Plasticity (HEP®) Approach, is an early intervention that comprehensively applies the core principles of enriched environment paradigms and neural plasticity used in experimental animal studies to the context of ecological theories of human development and emphasizes the fundamental importance of physiological homeostasis in the child as well as the child’s relationship with the parents.

During the HEP® Approach intervention, the therapist and family cooperatively provide sustainable, continuous, individualized environmental enrichment to advance the active exploration and engagement of the child. Increasing parenting self-efficacy in the provision of enriched environmental conditions for the child is one of the most important building blocks in the HEP® Approach.

The HEP® Approach is based on recent research which indicates that early intervention is most successful when it incorporates:

Recognition that each child and family possess unique characteristics and traits.
Caregivers play a crucial role in facilitating a child’s development.
Child development is facilitated through the child’s continuous active engagement and exploration.
An environment that is tailored to individual differences, both social and physical, and promotes the child’s active exploration and engagement is essential for their development.
Development is an integrated process in which changes in one area of development have an impact on all other areas.
Motivation is a crucial factor that facilitates achievement and development.

KEY ELEMENTS

The HEP® Approach consists of 10 essential intervention principles that are rooted in environmental enrichment studies and defined by Balikci (2022): physiological homeostasis, safety, sensory experiences, spatial features of the environment, environmental and object novelty, the just right challenge, enjoyment, continuous engagement, social opportunities, active engagement in and exploration of the environment.

These 10 key elements of the environmental enrichment are implemented using core principles of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, Sensory Integration, Dynamical Systems Theory, Gibson’s Ecological Theory of Perception, Theory of Neuronal Group Selection, and the Person–Environment–Occupation Model.

The following assumptions (based on ecological theories of human development) guide the key elements of the HEP® Approach intervention:

1.Physical and social environments have a considerable impact on development.

2. All systems (nervous, musculoskeletal, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, and excretory) have a nonlinear influence on development.

3. Every system organizes itself to elicit behavior or promote development.

4. Previous and current experiences, as well as future expectations, influence behavior and development.

5. Meaningful and just-right challenging experiences facilitate learning and development.

6. Various experiences in the early stages of life are critical for learning and development.

7. Experiences in which the person actively participates and explores are essential for development and learning.

8. Developmental constraints in one domain have an impact on other domains (e.g., emotional development constraints influence motor development and vice versa).