Family outcomes and experiences as a result of participating in early intervention

This study examined families’ experiences and outcomes as a result of participating in Part C early intervention services in Illinois. A total of 39 participants completed the Family Outcomes Survey-Revised© (FOS-R©) that focused on parents’ (a) understanding their child’s strengths, needs, and abilities; (b) knowing their rights and advocating for their child; (c) helping their child develop and learn; (d) having support systems; and (e) accessing the community. After completing the FOS-R©, parents participated in an interview where they described the practices that early intervention professionals used to help them achieve their outcomes, as well as practices that were unsuccessful. Using a mixed methods data analysis approach, results showed that most of the parents who participated in this study reported high levels of satisfaction with their early intervention experiences. However, satisfaction ratings on the family outcomes items on the FOS-R© (Section A) were consistently higher than parents’ satisfaction ratings on the helpfulness indicator items (Section B). This difference was echoed in the interviews. There were also some notable differences in parents’ responses on the FOS-R© based on their reported residential location, race, income, and education level. Several themes emerged from the interview data including systems-level and provider-level facilitators and barriers, parental wishes related to their early intervention experiences, and factors related to parents’ daily experiences in raising their children with a disability or developmental delay. While some families felt supported by their early interventionists, their experiences were not shared by the majority of families in the study