A National Study of Mothers' Perceptions of Family-Focused Early Intervention

Abstract

The Family Focused Intervention Scale was completed by a sample of 503 mothers of birth to 6-year-old handicapped children who were enrolled in intervention programs throughout the United States. This study was conducted to identify the types of family intervention services mothers were currently receiving and the types of services that they would like to obtain. The results indicated that the most common services were providing parents information about their child and helping parents and families become involved in the early intervention system. Resource assistance and personal-family assistance were the least common services provided Family-focused services were reported more by mothers of children birth to 3 than 3- to 6-year-olds. In addition, programs with home-based components and programs with Individualized Family Service Plans tended to have a greater family-focused orientation. Generally, the need for family services was greater than that currently being received. However, the more family intervention services mothers received, the more they perceived their intervention programs as benefitting their families and their children.