The use of video to facilitate parent empowerment in early intervention

Abstract

This quasi-experimental study piloted a video that was designed to increase parent empowerment. Participants were parents of children ages 0-3 with special needs who had recently qualified for early intervention services. A mixed methods approach using quantitative and qualitative data was used to test the hypothesis that parents who saw the video would be more empowered than parents who did not see the video. Multiple regression analyses showed that the video significantly predicted empowerment for parents when parent education and the interaction of video and parent education were included as predictors. Watching the video was associated with increased empowerment for parents with some college and decreased empowerment for parents with four or more years of college. Results suggest that parent education also moderates parent empowerment in the context of child gender and child disability. Content analysis of qualitative data indicated that parents who saw the video were not more empowered than the comparison group. Two major themes that emerged from the qualitative inquiry were restored confidence and inspired action. This study concludes that targeted intervention may benefit parents who are beginning to receive early intervention services.