Parent Involvement in Infant and Preschool Programs

Abstract

An analysis of parent involvement in early intervention programs was conducted as part of a review of literature on the efficacy of early intervention with disadvantaged, at-risk, and handicapped preschoolers. The evidence to date suggests that there is little support for the position that involvement of parents leads to more effective intervention programs. The meta-analysis also demonstrated that there is little research which addresses the issue of parental involvement with handicapped children. Suggestions for future research are included.

Family-Focused Intervention: A Functional Model for Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating Individualized Family Services in Early Intervention

“…Even though a recent meta-analysis of research suggests that empirical data to support this statement are lacking (Casto & Lewis, 1984), individual studies have demonstrated that when specific aspects of family involvement are targeted for intervention, positive effects are obtained. Documented effects include improved teaching skills of parents (Rosenberg, Robinson, & Beckman, 1984), changes in child behavior as a result of improved teaching skills (Filler & Kasari, 1981), improved social interactions between caregivers and infants (Kelly, 1982;McCollum & Stayton, 1985), successful parent training of spouses or other parents (Adubato, Adams, & Budd, 1981;Bruder & Bricker, 1985), increased skills in siblings working with their handicapped brother or sister (Schreibman, O'Neill, & Koegel, 1983), and reduced stress reported by parents (Vadasy, Fewell, Meyer, Schell, & Greenberg, 1984).…”

Early Identification of Preschoolers with Special (Needs in Head Start

“…The efficacy of early intervention programs that integrate disabled and nondisabled children has been well established in the research literature (Allen, 1980(Allen, , 1981Barnett & Escobar, 1990;Castro & Lewis, 1984;Crnic, Lamberty, & Burns, 1992;Deloria, Aitken, Hubbell, & Jones, 1982;Garber, 1988;Gray, Ramsey, & Klaus, 1982;Guralnick, 1991;Guralnick & Bennett, 1987;Hibbs, 1988;Keltner, 1990;Lazar et al, 1982;McKey et al, 1985;Schweinhart & Weikart, 1983;White, 1991;Zigler & Freedman, 1987). Head Start provides educational programs for children with special needs in the diagnostic categories of (1) physical/orthopedic impairment, (2) health impairment, (3) learning disabilities, (4) speech impairment, (5) serious emotional disturbance, (6) mental retardation, and (7) children with visual/hearing handicaps who require special education and related services.…”

A Comparison of the Effects of Academic and Cognitive Curricula for Young Handicapped Children One and Two Years Postprogram

“…The majority of program comparison studies involving students with handicapping conditions have, unfortunately, been retrospective reviews that did not necessarily have comparable populations, similar data collection methods, or similar program focus (e.g., Beller, 1979;Bronfenbrenner, 1975;Casto & Lewis, 1984;Casto, White, &c Taylor, 1983;Dunst & Rheingrover, 1981;Garland, Stone, Swanson, & Woodruff, 1981;Haskins, Finkelstein, & Stedman, 1978;Karnes & Teska, 1975;Simeonsson, Cooper, & Scheiner, 1982;Vincent et al, 1980;White, Mastropieri, & Casto, 1984).…”