| Summary: | In this qualitative, retrospective study the experiences of a purposive sample of
six families of developmentally at-risk children, between birth and school entry were
examined. Children were followed up by consultants in the Infant Development Program
of B.C. --a Provincial, early intervention, home-based, family-centred program serving
families with developmentally at-risk children ages 0 - 3 years.
Multiple sources of data collection were used including file reviews, focus
groups, and individual, semi-structured interviews with participant parents. This
researcher anticipated that it would be meaningful for parents to relate to these
experiential issues; and that their responses would provide insights to the research
questions posed on their specific experiences with early intervention. Member-checks
were completed by participants throughout the data collection and coding stages.
Thematic content analysis was used to interpret the themes from throughout the focus
groups and interviews, followed by a rigorous process of inter-coder reliability.
The findings of the present study raise issues in identification, referral and
follow-up for developmentally at-risk children. The findings support the implementation
of a primary level intervention system that probes and supports parents and service
providers in identifying what are areas that need follow-up — and why and how to address
those immediate needs. === Education, Faculty of === Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of === Graduate
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