Martin Deutsch (psychologist)

Martin Deutsch (1926–2002) was an American developmental psychologist known for his research on the education of disadvantaged children. His efforts to develop a compensatory education program in New York City served as a predecessor to the national Head Start program. He developed early intervention programs with what he called a "therapeutic curriculum", which aimed to specifically address the deficient experiences of children living in deprived environments. He believed that such environments put children at a disadvantage with respect to beginning school and acquiring basic literacy skills.