Parents’ Perspectives on the Application of Home Activities in Early Intervention

Abstract

Aims: This study explored parents’ successes, challenges, and recommendations in relation to the application of home activities in early intervention.

Methods: An electronic survey was prepared with Qualtrics software and distributed to parents of children with motor delays. Three open-ended questions were included at the end of the survey. Participants were the child’s primary caregiver or guardian and their child must be currently receiving early intervention services or have received early intervention services from a physical or an occupational therapist in the United States in the past 5 years. Two coders used content analysis to analyze parents’ responses to open-ended questions.

Results: A total of 252 participants responded to at least one of the open-ended questions that were included in the survey. Responses were grouped into codes and categories that lead to the emergence of four themes. The themes indicated parent-reported challenges, successes, and recommendations in relation to team collaboration, individualization of activities, developmental gains, and parental support.

Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that more focus should be directed toward parent-therapist partnership, multidisciplinary collaboration, and personalization of activities in early intervention. Parents-reported experiences and recommendation could assist early intervention personnel in advancing services provided for children with motor delays.

Keywords:

• Children with disabilities
• early intervention
• occupational therapy
• parents
• physical therapy
• young children

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Afnan S. Gmmash

Afnan S. Gmmash BSPT, MS, PhD, is a physical therapist and an assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, at King Abdulaziz University.

Kimberly D. Wynarczuk

Kimberly D. Wynarczuk, PT, PhD, MPH is a physical therapist and an assistant professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at Moravian University.

Susan K. Effgen

Susan K. Effgen, PT, PhD, is a physical therapist and an emeritus Faculty in the Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health Sciences, at University of Kentucky.