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

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Developmental Psychology
• Rehabilitation Therapy

Background:

• Early intervention (EI) services support children with developmental delays.
• Home-based activities are crucial components of EI therapy.
• Understanding parent experiences is vital for optimizing EI program effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore parents' successes and challenges with home activities in EI.
• To gather parent recommendations for improving EI services.
• To identify key factors influencing the application of home activities for children with motor delays.

Main Methods:

• An electronic survey with open-ended questions was distributed to parents of children with motor delays in the US.
• Participants were primary caregivers of children receiving or having received physical or occupational therapy within the last 5 years.
• Content analysis by two coders was used to analyze parent responses.

Main Results:

• 252 parents provided responses, leading to four emergent themes.
• Themes included parent-reported challenges and successes in team collaboration, activity individualization, developmental gains, and parental support.
• Key findings highlight the importance of personalized activities and strong parent-therapist relationships.

Conclusions:

• Increased focus on parent-therapist partnerships and multidisciplinary collaboration is recommended for EI.
• Personalization of activities is essential for maximizing benefits for children with motor delays.
• Parental insights can significantly enhance the quality and effectiveness of EI services.