Poster #148 - Mixed Methods Evaluation of Early Intervention Strategies to Support Parent-Child Interaction

• In Event: 1-169 - Poster Session 04
  In Poster Session: PS 04 Section - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Integrative Statement

Parent-child relationships are a critical foundation for the early development of young children (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, & Medicine, 2016). Many early childhood programs recognize this foundation and actively support parent-child interactions. In IDEA Part C early intervention (EI) there is increasing focus on family-centered practices, which are essential in ensuring that children continue to receive support for their development throughout their daily routines (Friedman, Woods, & Salisbury, 2012; McWilliam, 2010). It is important that EI providers are equipped with strategies that guide family-centered practices. The Parents Interacting with Infants (PIWI; McCollum, Gooler, Appl, & Yates 2001) framework provides clear guidance for how EI providers can assist parents in supporting their child's development outside of the EI session. EI providers can use PIWI triadic strategies to collaborate with parents in providing developmentally supportive environments for their children by expanding on families’ knowledge and understanding of their children, building on natural interactions, and acting on parent preferences.

Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) is implementing statewide training on the PIWI framework and the recommended triadic strategies. This poster presents preliminary findings of a mixed methods evaluation study that examines the fidelity of PIWI implementation in Massachusetts' EI system. This study is conducted in close collaboration with the Massachusetts DPH to evaluate the implementation fidelity of PIWI framework in the Part C system in Massachusetts, examine factors that impact the implementation fidelity of PIWI strategies, and identify implications for future research and practice to support family-centered practices in EI. This poster presents data for EI providers’ PIWI strategies observation checklists completed by program coaches on EI providers’ use of PIWI strategies during home visits, and video coding of EI provider-parent-child triadic interaction using the Home Visit Rating Scales (HOVRS; Roggman et al., 2014) and PIWI triadic strategy implementation checklist. Demographic data is also analyzed to examine factors that are associated with implementation fidelity.

To date, 40 videos have been coded. Preliminary findings show that there is variation in how EI providers are facilitating parent child interactions with Focus Attention and Suggest as the most frequently used triadic strategies. Improvements can be made to promote parent competence and increasing the use of less intrusive strategies. Future analyses will include larger video samples and examine how EI providers’ experiences influence strategies used. This evaluation study gives insight into the feasibility and implementation fidelity of EI providers' implementation of PIWI practices. We will discuss how researchers, interventionists, and policymakers can design better interventions and system-wide implementation supports to ensure that family-centered practices are central to EI services.

Authors

• Angel Fettig, University of Washington
  Presenting Author

• Rachel Chazan-Cohen, Tufts University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Shawna Harbin, University of Washington
  Non-Presenting Author

• Zachary Price, University of Massachusetts Boston
  Non-Presenting Author

• Stephanie Silva, University of Massachusetts Boston
  Non-Presenting Author