Early intervention dosage and caregivers' experiences

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Authors
Branscom, Ally
Williams, Kate
Idleman, Caitlyn
Schneider, Alaina
Clough, Kara
Advisors
James, Jennifer
Issue Date
2024-04-26
Type
Abstract
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Research Projects
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Citation
Branscom, A., Williams, K., Idleman, C., Schneider, A., & Clough, K. 2024. Early intervention dosage and caregivers' experiences. -- In Proceedings: 20th Annual Symposium on Graduate Research and Scholarly Projects. Wichita, KS: Wichita State University
Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Caregiver capacity, defined as confidence, competence, and enjoyment is a primary goal of early intervention. The relationship between capacity and dosage, as well as the factors that make caregivers more or less likely to use strategies between early intervention sessions is of high interest to researchers in this field. Concerns about low dosage due to staffing shortages and perceived poor caregiver adherence to therapy plans exist throughout the literature on early intervention, and this study seeks to explore factors related to caregiver capacity, dosage, and caregiver action between visits in early intervention physical therapy. PURPOSE: The purpose of this research study is to uncover themes relating to the dosage and adherence to physical therapy treatment strategies between sessions and the relationship of this dosage to parent perception of child potential, parent confidence, and parent competence. This study also gathers data about the dosage of both physical therapy sessions in early intervention and the dosage of strategies used between physical therapy sessions. METHODS: Survey was developed and distributed via email and QR code. Our team distributed the survey information to early intervention providers with the request to share with families receiving early intervention. Caregivers filled out the survey, providing quantitative data on the dosage of their early intervention and their use of strategies between sessions as well as information on their confidence, competence, and enjoyment related to their child's development. Caregivers who indicated willingness to complete a follow-up interview were contacted via email to set up a time for a virtual or in-person interview session. These interviews were recorded and transcribed. We used a grounded theory approach with constant comparison to find themes in the data and develop a model of the process of confidence development in early intervention. RESULTS: We found no statistically significant correlation among any of our quantitative variables. Qualitatively, we discovered themes relating to confidence, action, routines, and supports. Our poster presentation will include a model of these themes. In general, our qualitative findings indicated changes in caregiver routines and actions as a result of fluctuations in confidence resulting from experiences and use of formal and informal supports. CONCLUSION: Caregiver action between early intervention sessions does not appear to correlate with the dosage of those sessions. Instead, we found that caregivers reported changes in action driven by complex processes of confidence, support seeking, and other parenting experiences. This study also reports data of the amount of practice caregivers complete between therapy sessions, which is not well established in any existing literature and is a known research gap in the field of early intervention physical therapy.

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Description
Presented to the 20th Annual Symposium on Graduate Research and Scholarly Projects (GRASP) held at the Rhatigan Student Center, Wichita State University, April 26, 2024.
Research completed in the Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health Professions.
Publisher
Wichita State University
Journal
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Series
GRASP
v. 20
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