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.