Parental Judgments of Early Childhood Intervention Personnel Practices: Applying a Consumer Science Perspective

Parents of young children participating in either Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C early intervention or IDEA Part B-619 preschool special education programs were surveyed to obtain a consumer science perspective of the practitioners who were the children's primary service providers. Parents were asked to make judgments of the confidence and competence of the practitioners in six practice areas (family-centered practices, teaming and collaboration, child assessments and evaluations, instructional practices, Individualized Family Service Plans [IFSPs] or Individualized Education Programs [IEPs], and natural environments and inclusion practices). Results indicated that the parents rated the practitioners as more confident than competent when using practices, and that the degree of parent involvement in early intervention or preschool special education was related to variations in parents' perceived judgments. Implications for evaluating early childhood intervention service quality from a consumer science perspective are described.