There's No Place Like Home: Training, Practices and Perceptions of Homebound Services

Abstract

Homebound services involve the delivery of special education in settings other than school sites. Such settings typically include students' homes or hospitals. Most often associated with early childhood special education and with students who are medically or physically fragile, homebound services can also be for those in need of interim alternative educational settings (IAES). Although homebound services have been available to some students with disabilities for more than 50 years, little research exists on that delivery model. This study investigated the training, practices and perceptions of service providers who work in homebound settings. Data from a self-administered survey of a national sample were analyzed. Key findings included: a widespread lack of training for professionals who delivered homebound services; an absence of school district or agency policies or procedure concerning the delivery of such services; and statistically significantly higher perceptions of self-efficacy by those who did receive training.

Hospital homebound students and K-12 online schooling

“…There is very little published research about H/H programs or the children they serve; this is due, in part, to the relatively small number of learners who receive H/H services during their academic career as well as the varied nature of the programs themselves [15]. Data are also challenging to obtain due to inconsistency in state laws related to reporting; moreover, federal datasets do not report on disability or illness and its impact on children's learning and school attendance (e.g., National Center for Educational Statistics or National Institute of Health) [10].…”

“…The H/H student population represents a vulnerable, underserviced, and understudied population and a unique opportunity for research into the intersection of health and education. Fundamental questions about the impact of learning on health and quality of life outcomes in the short and long-term, appropriate teacher training, educating healthcare professionals, best practices for delivering homebound services, and H/H student performance and engagement in online and non-online environments need further exploration_msocom_1 [15,25,54]. Additionally, we have little understanding of the affordances and challenges associated with learning in an online environment for H/H students, which likely vary considerably based upon the unique needs of the child.…”

Home as the Least Restrictive Environment for Students with Medical Disabilities

“…Students in homebound placements usually receive 1:1 instruction; however, overall, they receive, on average, significantly less instructional time per day. Petit and Patterson (2014) found instructional services were typically provided twice per week, for a duration of 60-89 minutes each, which is substantially less educational contact time per week than their nondisabled peers.…”

Let's talk about it: supporting novice teachers through virtual conversation spaces

“…Globally, we are experiencing an educational recalibration crisis due to the school closures of the pandemic. One study that supports the quality of homebound services is reflected by the quality of training given to the service worker (Petit & Patterson, 2014). Another author engages in the lack of preparation there was for students forcefully being homebound during Covid-19 quarantines and its urgency to rectify the emotional damages caused, which aligns with Wilson's Isolation Theory (Ward, 2020).…”