ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the theoretical foundations of the methodology behind the activities that comprise The SmartStart Toolbox Program. The first paradigm is Vygotsky’s ideas on the importance of the social context of learning, the notion of “psychological tools” (hence the title “SmartStart Toolbox”), and the imminence of internalization of culture. The second concept is Feuerstein’s “Mediated Learning Experience” as specific types of interactions between a mediator (in our context this is an adoptive parent or a therapist) and a child. The mediator, through specific activities presented in The SmartStart Toolbox Program, works within four closely connected directions: enrichment of cognitive language, formation and scaffolding of specific cognitive skills (thus increasing cognitive competence), facilitation of task-intrinsic motivation, and encouragement of self-regulation in goal-directed learning behavior. Mediated interactions between parents and their children provide tools for further development of cognitive and social/emotional domains, while at the same time strengthening the emotional bonds of children with their parents. Connecting learning to emotion is an essential component of successful remediation, even more so for children who have experienced deprivation and trauma in the early, most formative, years of their lives. These two-fold goals are the core of The SmartStart Toolbox Program in remediation and mental health rehabilitation of international adoptees.
