Latinx Mothers' Experiences With Linkage to Early Intervention

Abstract

This study explored the experiences and perspectives of Latinx mothers of children younger than 3 years who had participated in a developmental screening initiative provided by 2 Federally Qualified Health Centers in an urban setting, had positive developmental screenings, and were referred to early intervention (EI) services. A 2-phase mixed-methods explanatory design was implemented in English and Spanish. In Phase 1, a telephone survey was conducted with 62 parents. In Phase 2, qualitative semistructured interviews (regarding parental experiences with their child's developmental screening, the process of linking to services, the EI evaluation, and subsequent services received) were conducted with a subset of 13 Phase 1 mothers. Results from the phone survey showed that 91% of children were found eligible for EI and 92% were receiving EI services. More than 90% of mothers reported positive experiences with their children's developmental screening, learning about their child's development, and accessing services. However, results from the semistructured interviews revealed that mothers had mixed experiences with the developmental screening process and linkage to EI services. Findings from this study provide insights into the

Early Childhood Professionals’ Reported Use of Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Practices During Initial Evaluations: A Mixed Methods Study

“…These researchers noted that early childhood personnel did not regularly use higher level culturally responsive evaluation practices, such as asking families about their expectations for the testing process or about their values and hopes for their children (Steed & Stein, 2021). Another recent study found that while most White and Latina mothers felt that their child's initial evaluation was accurate, Latina mothers reported more challenges during the initial evaluation and barriers to accessing early intervention services (Quebles et al, 2022). More information is needed to understand how EI and ECSE professionals nationally are utilizing culturally and linguistically responsive practices during the initial evaluation, in recognition of the importance of the evaluation in accurately identifying all young children for EI/ECSE and connecting them quickly to services.…”

“…While the population of children and families seeking and receiving early intervention and preschool special education services is increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse, the early intervention (EI) and early childhood special education (ECSE) workforce continues to remain largely White, female, and English speaking (Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Department of Labor, 2018). Cultural, racial, and linguistic differences between children, families, and EI and ECSE professionals may present barriers on both sides to communicating about the child’s development, sharing concerns, and successfully linking the child to EI or ECSE services (Quebles et al, 2022).…”