Family-centered early intervention services: Factors contributing to increased parent involvement and participation

Abstract

The focus of early intervention and the roles that parents play in planning and implementing services have evolved from an institution/agency approach to a child-centered approach and finally to a family-centered approach. Parents, in their roles as consumers of early intervention services and advocates on behalf of their children, have had a significant impact on the development and implementation of family-centered services. This article provides an overview of two major factors that have influenced the level of parent/family participation in early intervention services. These include (a) an increased focus on families in both state and federal early intervention legislation and (b) the incorporation of social systems frameworks for better understanding child, parent, and family functioning. These conceptual frameworks include family systems theory, ecological theory, the transactional model of development, and social support theory. The article also summarizes the dimensions of family participation in early intervention program practices. Involvement of families in early intervention program services has generally taken two forms, one as teacher/therapist participant in service provision and the other as client or recipient of intervention services. This new client or recipient role for families continues to be the focus of many early intervention programs today.