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Parents' Perceptions of Motor Interventions for Infants and Toddlers with Down Syndrome
L Kristi Sayers1, Jo E Cowden2, Claudine Sherrill3
11 University of Alabama, Birmingham.
Insights
Parents found a home-based strength program empowering for their children with Down syndrome. The intervention met motor development expectations and provided valuable insights for future early intervention strategies.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Psychology
- Rehabilitation Science
Background:
- Early intervention is crucial for infants and toddlers with Down syndrome.
- Parental involvement significantly impacts the effectiveness of pediatric interventions.
- Home-based programs offer a convenient and accessible approach to therapy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate parent perceptions of a home-based pediatric strength intervention for children with Down syndrome.
- To assess the program's effectiveness over a four-year period.
- To derive guidelines for future early intervention programs based on parental feedback.
Main Methods:
- Participatory evaluation research design.
- Semistructured audio-recorded home interviews with parents.
- Qualitative content analysis of interview data.
Main Results:
- Parents felt empowered to implement the strength intervention program.
- Parents' expectations for improved motor development in their children were met.
- Parents perceived the intervention program as valuable and worthwhile.
Conclusions:
- Parental perceptions are essential for evaluating early intervention programs.
- The home-based strength program positively impacted children with Down syndrome and their families.
- Findings provide a foundation for developing effective guidelines for future pediatric strength interventions.
Abstract:
The purpose of the study was to analyze parents' perceptions of their participation in a university-directed, parent-implemented, home-based pediatric strength intervention program as (a) one approach to evaluating the effectiveness of a program conducted over a 4-year period with families of infants and toddlers with Down syndrome and (b) a means of deriving guidelines for future early intervention programs. Participants were 22 parents from 11 families of children with Down syndrome; the children ranged in age from 6 to 42 months. Participatory evaluation research, semistructured audio recorded home interviews, and qualitative content analysis were used. The results indicated that the parents (a) perceived themselves as being empowered to implement the program, (b) perceived their expectations about improved motor development of their children had been met, and (c) perceived the program was worthwhile. The parents' perceptions provided meaningful evaluation data that enabled the development of guidelines for future pediatric strength intervention programs.
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