Latinx Families’ Experiences Navigating Early Intervention Services for Their Children with Developmental Delays

ABSTRACT

The first three years of a child’s life are of critical importance to the development of the brain. Children identified as not developing at a pace that is age level appropriate may be referred to early intervention services. This study identifies the successes as well as the various challenges that Latinx families encounter as they navigate the early intervention system. Through one-on-one interviews, the researchers in the current study explore the attitudes, values, and concerns of nine Latina mothers who accessed and received early intervention services for their children with developmental delays. Results from this study provide direction for the development of strategies and guidance for practitioners in the application of recommended practices.

KEYWORDS:

• Early intervention
• developmental delay
• New Jersey Early Intervention System
• limited English proficiency
• Hispanic/ Latinx families

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethics approval

This study was approved by the Kean University Institutional Review Board under a Full Review application.

Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Authors’ contribution statements

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Katherine Agurto, Rafael Inoa, and Keri Giordano. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Katherine Agurto and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.