Research supports online delivery
The first and most important thing is that families who have tried online delivery of early intervention services believe that they are effective.
There is a lot we already know from the evidence about online early intervention services.
Research has found that they:
- Are equally effective as face-to-face services
- Result in positive outcomes for the child
- Provide flexibility
- Engage and empower families
- Increase family belief in their ability to parent their child
Right now, online early intervention services are a safe way to keep connected with the organisations who have been working with you to achieve positive outcomes for your child. We really encourage you to give online services a try!
You can follow up the research here in a study that concluded that Telehealth can be introduced to all families in Colorado because it works.
Cole, B., Pickard, K., & Stredler-Brown, A. (2019). Report on the Use of Telehealth in Early Intervention in Colorado: Strengths and Challenges with Telehealth as a Service Delivery Method. International journal of telerehabilitation, 11(1), 33.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6597149/ )
The article summarises that online services:
- Necessitates and supports the use of family coaching strategies (Stredler-Brown, 2017). These strategies have been shown to increase family engagement and empowerment as families (Baharav & Reiser, 2010; Cason, 2011; Vismara et al., 2012).
- Results in more active family engagement (Baggett, et al., 2010; Baharv & Reiser, 2010; Ingersoll, Straiton, Casagrande, & Pickard, 2016; Meadan & Daczewitz, 2015; Vismara et al., 2012), resulting in high levels of parent empowerment and self-efficacy, as well as positive child outcomes (Little et al., 2018; Vismara et al., 2012; Wainer & Ingersoll, 2015).
- Parents indicated that services delivered via telehealth were “acceptable, useable, and effective according to Wainer and Ingersoll (2015),”
- Provides increased flexibility for example, join in different routines
- Equally effective as in-person services (Blaiser, et al., 2013; Falcone et al., 2018)
- Families have positive perceptions of telehealth (Pickard, Wainer, Bailey, & Ingersoll, 2016).
For more research see https://www.publicconsultinggroup.com/news-perspectives/use-of-telehealth-in-early-intervention-idea-part-c-resources-to-consider-during-the-covid-19-public-health-emergency/
Further Resources
Findings on Telepractice in Early Childhood Intervention By Lorraine Heywood