A/HRC/40/32 that are person-centred, goal-oriented and fit to achieve their purpose. Access to rehabilitation must be based on the actual needs of an individual and official recognition or certification as a person with a disability must never be a precondition for accessing rehabilitation services. 26. Rehabilitation interventions are typically geared towards full or partial recovery, and therefore tend to be of a limited duration. It is a good practice for individual rehabilitation plans to have a defined time frame. For some persons with disabilities, however, rehabilitation is required on a long-term or continuous basis in order to maintain a certain level of functionality. In such cases, it remains advisable to review the rehabilitation plan regularly to adjust the established goals at each stage in a series of cycles. The emphasis on time frames must not lead to interruptions in or the discontinuation of required rehabilitation support. 2. Early intervention 27. Article 26 (1), in recognition of the importance of early intervention, stipulates that habilitation and rehabilitation services and programmes begin at the earliest possible stage. While early interventions are crucial for all people, it is particularly important for children with disabilities who have acquired impairments congenitally or in early childhood. Early intervention, including through the use of assistive products, allows the identification of risks of developmental delays, reduces developmental gaps and improves the child’s chances of benefiting from their education, and also reduces further support requirements and provides focused habilitation interventions (A/71/314, para. 44). 28. States should establish mechanisms for early identification and individualized assessment of developmental and learning support requirements and provide child- and family-centred comprehensive habilitation and support aimed at helping the child reach their full potential. In accordance with respect for the evolving capacities of children with disabilities and to provide support to enable and strengthen their independent decisionmaking, children with disabilities should be empowered to participate in their habilitation and rehabilitation from the earliest age.14 Early intervention mechanisms must not reinforce the medical model of disability that leads to segregation and exclusion from education and other mainstream services. 3. Assistive products 29. Under article 26 (3) of the Convention, States parties are required to promote the availability, knowledge and use of assistive devices and technologies, designed for persons with disabilities, as they relate to habilitation and rehabilitation. Access to assistive products is further guaranteed as part of the general obligations of States parties in article 4 (1) (h) and (g), in the context of personal mobility in article 20 (facilitating access to quality mobility aids, devices and assistive technologies, including by making them available at affordable cost), and as part of the right to social protection under article 28 (ensuring access to appropriate and affordable services, devices and other assistance for disabilityrelated needs). 30. WHO has defined assistive devices as any external product, including devices, equipment, instruments and software, specially produced or generally available, the primary purpose of which is to maintain or improve an individual’s functioning and independence and thereby promote well-being and contribute to preventing secondary health conditions. 15 Assistive products allow individuals to perform an activity that they would otherwise be unable to do, or increase the ease and safety with which these activities are performed (A/71/314, para. 44). Wheelchairs, walkers, prosthetics, hearing aids, alarm devices, spectacles, voice recognition software, communication boards and speech synthesizers are all examples of assistive products. 14 15 8 Committee on the Rights of the Child, general comment No. 12 (2009) on the right of the child to be heard, para. 21. WHO, Rehabilitation in Health Systems, p. 35.