Perspectives from Parents of the Routines-Based Interview and Early Intervention Services
Apr 16 @ 12 pm
LSC 710
The current study examined the perspectives of families with a child with a developmental delay on the Routines-Based Interview (RBI). The RBI is a widely used tool for eliciting the priorities and concerns of families engaged in early intervention (EI) and for developing a functional individualized family service plan (IFSP). In this qualitative study, 6 families were interviewed initially and three completed a follow up interview to elicit their reflections of their experiences with the RBI, IFSP development, and EI services. The first interview occurred within fourteen days of a completed RBI to learn about the family’s level of satisfaction in the RBI process and participation in the development of their IFSP. Three families completed the follow up interview after approximately four months of EI services to understand if and how they experienced participatory help giving practices fit within the sociocultural context of their family. All interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim and coded for themes. Subsequent thematic analysis occurred by the researcher and two doctoral student reviewers. Additionally, all interviews were triangulated with available RBI notes and IFSP goals to ascertain the level of match between what parents reported they experienced and what was formally documented by the service agency. Findings indicated positive perceptions of the RBI from parents interviewed with links to strong IFSP goals they chose and were confident to reach. Additionally, follow up interviews revealed a link between the RBI and participatory help giving practices received after experiencing several months of services. These findings suggest implications for practices in EI service delivery including need for use of an evidence-based tool, like the RBI, completed with fidelity to ensure IFSP goals that address the concerns and priorities of families and services with strong contextual fit within the times of day the family needs support.