Date of Award

4-3-1995

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Teaching & Learning

First Advisor

Myrna Olson

Abstract

The purposes of the study were to determine (a) perceptions of parents about the importance of the national Division for Early Childhood (DEC) family-centered competencies, (b) parent-perceived training needs of early intervention personnel in the area of family-centered services, and (c) the degree of relationship between family- centered competency items perceived by parents as important and items perceived by parents as needed areas of training for early intervention personnel. A three-part survey instrument which incorporated family-centered competence statements from the DEC Compilation of Professional Competencies for Early Intervention Personnel (1992) was used to gather information for this study. Resulting data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.Parent respondents, representing 103 families of infants and toddlers from eight state-sponsored infant development programs, indicated that all 10 family-centered competencies were important. The top five competencies were identified as follows: (a) assists families in identifying strengths and needs; (b) knows about issues faced by families; (c) provides an approach that supports confidence and competence in families; (d) evaluates the impact of intervention services; and (e) helps families find information, referral, and training resources.The top five training needs of early intervention personnel in the area of family-centered service were as follows: (a) develops family service plans; (b) knows about issues faced by families; (c) assists families in identifying strengths and needs; (d) helps families find information, support, referral, and training resources; and (e) evaluates the impact of early intervention services. No differences in parent perceptions of competency "importance" and "training needs" of early intervention personnel between infant development programs were significant.Recommendations as a result of this study focused on two major premises. First, parents emphasized the need for collaboration between families and early intervention personnel. Second, training in a family-centered approach to service delivery would require innovative methods to accommodate the rural nature of the state and the distance between major training sites to assure affordability and geographical access.

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