Team-Based Approaches in Early Intervention Services for Children With Disabilities: Irish Parents' Experiences

The authors report on a study addressing gaps in the literature regarding parents' experiences of team-based approaches for their children with disabilities in practice in early intervention services. Specifically, this study examined the facilitators and barriers of the multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary models through a qualitative, grounded theory approach employed in which semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with 19 parents (15 mothers and four fathers from 18 families) of children with disabilities from two early intervention services in Ireland. The results revealed that both models contained client-centered values for parents, such as enabling a child/family-centered model and facilitating parent empowerment. Also, parents reported a range of obstacles, which included misuse of time, inefficient delivery of services, lack of support, and their sense of confusion shifting from one model to another. The delivery of a key working system was also seen as worthwhile by parents. The authors concluded that parents placed the highest value on team guidance and teams' ability to promote optimal development for children. The authors note that their findings suggest that considerable gaps remain between policy and service provision in early intervention services in the Republic of Ireland regarding implementation of best practice team models for children with disabilities and their families.