An adapted version of the Impact on Family Scale (IFS), a 33-item rating scale for measuring the impact of the handicapped child on adult family members and siblings, was completed by 49 mothers of children between 36 and 64 months of age enrolled In early intervention programs. The internal consistency coefficient was found to be .86. Correlations of the Adapted IFS total score and IFS factor scores with relevant criterion measures supported the validity of the scores from the adapted scale for measuring the impact of the handicapped child on the family. The results of this study suggest the potential utility of the adapted IFS for assessing the effects of early intervention programs on families.
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Dunst, C.J. (1985). Rethinking early intervention. Analysis and Intervention in Developmental Disabilities, 5, 165-201.
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Dunst, C.J., Jenkins, V., & Trivette, C.M. (1984). The Family Support Scale: Reliability and validity. Journal of Individual, Family, and Community Wellness, 1(4), 45-52.
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Dunst, C.J., & Leet, H.E. (in press). Measuring the adequacy of resources in households with young children. Child: Care, Health, and Development.
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Dunst, C.J. & Leet, H.E. (1986). Family resources, personal well-being, and early intervention. Unpublished manuscript.
8.
Dunst, C.J., & Trivette, C.M. (1985). A guide to measures of social support and family behaviors. Chapel Hill, NC: Technical Assistance Development System.
9.
Dunst, C.J., Trivette, C.M., & Cross, A.H. (1986). Mediating influences of social support: Personal, family, and child outcomes. American Journal of Mental Deficiency , 90(4), 403-417.
10.
Fewell, R.R. (1986). The measurement of family functioning. In L. Bickman, & D. L. Weatherford (Eds.), Evaluating early intervention programs for severely handicapped children and their families. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.
11.
Leet, H.E. & Dunst, C.J. (1985). Family Resource Scale. Morganton , NC: Western Carolina Center.
12.
Mott, S.E., & Casto, G. (1986). Annotated bibliography of self-report measures of family functioning. Logan, UT: Early Intervention Research Institute. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 278 205).
13.
Mott, S.E. , Fewell, R.R., Lewis, M., Meisels, S.J., Shonkoff, J.P., & Simeonsson, R.J. (1986). Methods for assessing child and family outcomes in early childhood special education programs: Some views from the field. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education , 6(2), 1-15.
Stein, R.E., & Jessop, D.J. (1985). Tables documenting the psychometric properties of a measure of the impact on (SIC) chronic illness on a family. Unpublished manuscript, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York.
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Stein, R.E., & Riessman, C.K. (1978). Impact on family. Unpublished scale, Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
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Stein, R.E., & Riessman, C.K. (1980). The development of an Impact-on-Family Scale: Preliminary findings. Medical Care, 18(4), 465-472.
18.
Turnbull, A.P., & Turnbull, H.R. III. (1986). Stepping back from early intervention: An ethical perspective. Journal of the Division for Early Childhood, 10(2), 106-117.
19.
Waidler, J.E., & Pezzino, J. (1987). Family resources and social support as mediators of perceived stress in families with handicapped preschool children. Unpublished manuscript. Early InterventionResearch Institute, Logan , UT.
