No abstract

This article reports data from a large-scale assessment using the Family Outcomes Survey with families participating in early intervention. The study was designed to determine how families describe themselves with regard to outcomes achieved, the extent to which outcomes are interrelated, and the extent to which child, family, and program factors are associated with outcomes. Families reported positive outcomes, but there was variability in their responses. Factor analysis revealed that outcomes clustered in two areas: (a) family knowledge and ability, and (b) family support and community services. Hierarchical linear models indicated race/ethnicity, income, time in early intervention, perception of early intervention, and family-centered services were related to family outcomes. Recommendations for how to best use survey data are discussed.

In this study, the authors use data from two states to compare how families participating in early intervention who completed a Spanish version of the Family Outcomes Survey (FOS) ( n = 291) compared with Hispanic ( n = 486) and non-Hispanic ( n = 2,363) families who completed the English version. In general, most families reported positive outcomes, but there was variability in their responses. Families completing the survey in Spanish consistently reported lower outcome attainment than both Hispanic and non-Hispanic families completing the FOS in English. They also reported lower perceptions of the helpfulness of early intervention, but the three groups did not differ with regard to perceptions of family-centered practices. Factor analysis revealed that constructs assessed by the survey are similar for both the English and Spanish version of the survey. Hierarchical linear models analysis within the Spanish-language group indicated that family-centered practices were significantly related to family outcomes.