How do parents and early intervention professionals utilize educational resources about infant development and play?

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Child Development
• Parent Education

Background:

• Parents increasingly seek health information online.
• Limited research exists on parents' sources for infant development and play information.
• Understanding parent preferences is crucial for effective early intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate parent and early intervention (EI) provider practices and preferences for parent education on infant development and play.
• To identify preferred information sources and delivery methods for parents.
• To assess EI providers' use and perception of available educational resources.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional survey design.
• 112 parents and 138 EI providers participated.
• Surveys collected data on information-seeking behaviors, preferred learning methods, and perceived quality of resources.

Main Results:

• Parents more frequently sought information on development than play.
• Internet searches and websites were preferred by parents for both topics.
• Parents of at-risk infants preferred home visits or classes for developmental information.
• Most EI providers have not inquired about parents' preferred information sources.
• EI providers perceived existing development resources as higher quality than play resources, noting a need for improvement in both.

Conclusions:

• Parents utilize diverse methods to access information on infant development and play.
• EI providers and healthcare professionals should actively discuss these methods with parents.
• Collaborative discussions can ensure parents receive tailored, high-quality developmental information.