AN EXAMINATION OF THE EFFECTS OF FAMILY-CENTERED EARLY INTERVENTION ON CHILD AND FAMILY OUTCOMES

This study assesses the impact of family-centered early intervention s ervices on children and their families during a 12-month period. The s ample consisted of 47 families who attended 1 of 36 programs. We asses sed children's developmental functioning, mothers' styles of interacti ng with their children, family functioning, and maternal stress both a t the beginning and end of this study. At the midpoint of the study, m others completed the Family-Focused Intervention Scale, which we used to classify the family-centered orientation of their services. Results indicated that during intervention children's developmental gains wer e equivalent to their rate of development prior to intervention, and t here were no significant changes in the family variables assessed. Ana lyses of outcomes in relationship to two family-centered constructs-'' comprehensiveness of family services'' and ''responsiveness of interve ntion services to family needs''-produced little evidence that interve ntion effectiveness was related to these parameters. Reasons for the l imited relationships between family-centered services and child and fa mily outcomes are discussed.