Satisfaction and Struggles: Family Perceptions of Early Intervention Services

Abstract

This study was commissioned by the North Carolina Interagency Coordinating Council (NC-ICC) at the request of its Children and Families Committee. The views expressed in this article are not necessarily those of the NC-ICC. We thank Lynn Curkin, Doris Cothard, and Susan Robinson (fellow members, with the authors, of the Children and Families Committee) for their contributions to the design of the study and creation of the questionnaire. Thanks are also extended to Ron Craig and Bill Parise for quantitative data analysis, to Wayde Johnson, Karen Applequist, Lisa Clifton, and Craig Pohlman for qualitative analyses, to Cayle Underdown and Gladys Whitehouse for conducting the interviews, to Cina Walker for graphics, and to Duncan Munn for contributing to the questionnaire. We are most grateful to the families who took the time to participate; many of them wrote long answers to the open-ended questions. Appreciation is extended to the direct-service professionals who distributed the questionnaires and followed up with families. Finally, special thanks are due to the six families who allowed us to interview them.

One method of evaluating early intervention services is to ask its consumers. The mixed-method approach in this study involved a written survey (quantitative) and in-depth, semi-structured interviews (qualitative). The survey was completed by 539 parents of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers receiving any type of early intervention service. Results showed overwhelming satisfaction with most services, but some concerns were noted in the choices of available mainstreaming options. Interviews showed that families ascribed most of their positive experiences to the supportive behaviors of individual professionals. Bad experiences were most often related to difficulties in finding out about, getting, and monitoring services. Families spent much time and energy in securing more services, particularly therapies, for their children. The discussion focuses on implications for family-centered services and for providing specialized services.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Able-Boone

, Goodwin

L.D.

, Sandall

S.R.

, Gordon

, & Martin

D.G.

(1992). Consumer based early intervention services. Journal of Early Intervention, 16, 201–209.

Able-Boone

, Sandall

, Loughry

, & Fredrick

(1990). An informed, family-centered approach to Public Law 99–457: Parental views. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 10, 100–111.

Bailey

D.B.

, & Simeonsson

R.J.

(1984). Critical issues underlying research and intervention with families of young handicapped children. Journal of the Division for Early Childhood, 9, 27–37.

Bailey

D.B.

, Simeonsson

R.J.

, Winton

P.J.

, Huntington

G.S.

, Comfort

, Isbell

, O'donnell

, & Helm

(1986). Family-focused intervention: A functional model for planning, implementing, and evaluating individualized family services in early intervention. Journal of the Division for Early Childhood, 10, 156–171.

Bailey

D.B.

, & Wolery

(1992). Teaching infants and preschoolers with disabilities. Columbus, OH: Merrill.

Barber

P.A.

, Turnbull

A.P.

, Behr

S.K.

, & Kerns

C.M.

(1988). A family systems perspective on early childhood special education. In Odom

S.L.

& Karnes

M.B.

(Eds.), Early intervention for infants and children with handicaps (pp. 179–198). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.

Bifano

S.L.

(1989). Researching the professional practice of elementary principals: Combining quantitative methods and case study. Journal of Educational Administration, 27, 58–70.

Buysse

, & Bailey

D.B.

(1993). Behavioral and developmental outcomes in young children with disabilities in integrated and segregated settings: A review of comparative studies. The Journal of Special Education, 26, 434–461.

Calhoun

M.L.

, Calhoun

L.G.

, & Rose

T.L.

(1989). Parents of babies with severe handicaps: Concerns about early intervention. Journal of Early Intervention, 13, 146–152.

10.

Campbell

P.H.

(1987). The integrated programming team: An approach for coordinating professionals of various disciplines in programs for students with severe and multiple handicaps. Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, 12, 107–116.

11.

Cole

K.N.

, Harris

S.R.

, Eland

S.F.

, & Mills

P.E.

(1989). Comparison of two service delivery models: In-class and out-of-class therapy approaches. Pediatric Physical Therapy, 1, 49–54.

12.

Dunst

C.J.

, Trivette

C.M.

, Hamby

D.M.

, & Pollock

(1990). Family systems correlates of the behavior of young children with handicaps. Journal of Early Intervention, 14, 204–218.

13.

Giangreco

M.F.

(1986). Effects of integrated therapy: A pilot study. Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, 11, 205–208.

14.

Goetz

J.P.

, & LeCompte

M.D.

(1984). Ethnography and qualitative design in educational research. Orlando, FL: Academic Press.

15.

Hamblin-Wilson

, & Thurman

(1990). The transition from early intervention to kindergarten: Parental satisfaction and involvement. Journal of Early Intervention, 14, 55–61.

16.

Heshusius

(1994). Freeing ourselves from objectivity: Managing subjectivity or turning toward a participatory mode of consciousness? Educational Researcher, 23(3), 15–22.

17.

Jenkins

J.R.

, & Heinen

(1989). Students' preferences for service delivery: Pull-out, in-class, or integrated models. Exceptional Children, 55, 516–523.

18.

Mahoney

, O'sullivan

, & Dennebaum

(1990). A national study of mothers' perceptions of family-focused early intervention. Journal of Early Intervention, 14, 133–146.

19.

McNaughton

(1994). Measuring parent satisfaction with early childhood intervention programs: Current practice, problems, and future perspectives. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 14, 26–48.

20.

McWilliam

R.A.

(1991). Integrated services: Why are we still debating? Tribune, March, 1–3.

21.

McWilliam

R.A.

(1993, February). Integrated Services Symposium: Findings from two years of research at the Frank Porter Graham Child Care Program. Paper presented at the North Carolina Federation of the Council for Exceptional Children Conference, Greensboro, NC.

22.

McWilliam

R.A.

(Ed.) (in press). Integrated therapy and instruction in early intervention. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.

23.

McWilliam

R.A.

, & Bailey

D.B.

(1994). Predictors of service delivery models in center-based early intervention. Exceptional Children, 61, 56–71.

24.

McWilliam

R.A.

, & Spencer

A.G.

(1992, October). Consultant and teacher roles in early intervention. Paper presented at the North Carolina Division for Early Childhood 3rd Annual Conference, Greensboro, NC.

25.

Seitz

, & Provence

(1990). Caregiver-focused models of early intervention. In Meisels

S.J.

& Shokoff

J.P.

(Eds.), Handbook of early childhood intervention (pp. 400–427). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

26.

Upshur

C.C.

(1991). Mothers' and fathers' ratings of the benefits of early intervention services. Journal of Early Intervention, 15, 345–357.

27.

Vincent

L.J.

(1992). Families and early intervention: Diversity and competence. Journal of Early Intervention, 16, 166–172.

28.

Wilcox

M.J.

, Kouri

T.A.

, & Caswell

S.B.

(1991). Early language intervention: A comparison of classroom and individual treatment. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 1, 49–61.

29.

Yin

R.K.

(1989). Case study research: Design and methods (2nd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

30.

Yoder

D.E.

, Coleman

P.P.

, & Gallagher

J.J.

(1990). Personnel needs: Allied health personnel meeting the demands of Part H, P.L. 99–457. Unpublished manuscript. Carolina Institute for Child and Family Policy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.