VISITING CHILDREN AT HOME: HISTORY AND MODERN APPROACHES
The article deals with the concept of home visiting, which is an important component of psychological and pedagogical support for children with special educational needs and their families. The article singles out the main categories of families which need this assistance. The author describes the advantages of the proposed method, which allows the teacher to conduct classes with the child in the most favorable environment and actively involve families in the remedial-pedagogical process. The article refers to the history of formation of home-based services in the system of early pedagogical support in Europe and the USA. It enumerates the main legislative acts that influenced the formation of the early support system and home-based services in various countries around the world. The role of pedagogical support at home is compared with visits of other specialists. The article describes changes in the attitude of the state and the specialists to children with special educational needs and to their parents in the second half of the 20<sup>th</sup> century, as well as political and economic conditions that influenced this process. The author analyzes approaches to family support in the areas of special education, health and social protection of the population. The most famous home-based programs are described, as well as the Russian experience of work with junior children with special educational needs and their parents. The main agencies providing home-based family support services are also enumerated.