Impacts of early intervention on family outcomes: A multicenter cross-sectional study in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Recently, the concept of "family-centered" practice was integrated into early intervention programs in Japan. Services provided through early intervention can result in beneficial family outcomes. We previously validated the Family Outcomes Survey-Revised (FOS-R) for use in Japan, but the impact on families was not evaluated. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate potential impacts of early intervention on family outcomes and factors associated with outcome attainment. METHOD: An anonymous, self-administered questionnaire was given to mothers of pre-school-age children with disabilities who were currently receiving early intervention at one of 12 development support centers across Japan. We evaluated scores of the Japanese version of the FOS-R using multivariable random effect models. RESULTS: Data from a total of 394 mothers were analyzed. Longer duration of early intervention was positively associated with family outcomes (<12 mo vs. 12-23 mo; coefficient = 0.19, p = .02, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.36). Perceived helpfulness of early intervention was significantly associated with family outcomes (coefficient = 0.49, p < .001, 95% CI: 0.42, 0.55). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that early intervention is associated with better outcomes for families, especially for families who perceive early intervention as helpful.

Psychometric validation of the Family Outcomes Survey-Revised in Japan.

According to a revision of Japan's Basic Law for Persons with Disabilities in 2011, Article 17 stipulated the government's obligation to provide early intervention to children with disabilities. However, the concept of family outcomes in early intervention has not really been considered in Japan yet. This article describes the development and validation of the Japanese version of the Family Outcomes Survey Revised (FOS-R). Our goal was to determine whether this survey for assessing how families of children with disabilities are affected by early intervention would be appropriate for use in early intervention in Japan. Both the Japanese version of the FOS-R and an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire about background factors were given to 394 mothers of children who were either currently using or had in the past year used early intervention at an early intervention facility or medical institution. Survey responses were obtained from 335 mothers (response rate of 85.0%). The total number of subjects in the analysis was 301 mothers who answered the Japanese version of the FOS-R completely. To assess content validity, another survey was given to 115 experts involved in supporting children with disabilities and their families. The family outcomes indicator items as well as the helpfulness indicators items showed good psychometric properties. Although the components of the FOS-R worked better as individual subscales than as a single scale, we confirmed that a total score was also psychometrically valid. We also confirmed both content validity and external validity. The Japanese version of the FOS-R appears to be a valid tool for assessing the benefits experienced by families as a result of services received, but further research is needed to determine the nature of practices most likely to lead to positive family outcomes.

Psychometric validation of the Family Outcome Survey-Revised in Singapore.

This study sought to examine the construct validity of the Family Outcomes Survey-Revised (FOS-R) in Singapore, describe the extent to which family outcomes of early childhood intervention (ECI) are attained, and obtain caregivers' perception on the extent to which ECI has served their needs. The FOS-R was translated into Chinese (simplified) and Malay for use in Singapore. Bilingual (i.e., English-Chinese and English-Malay) versions of the instrument were distributed to caregivers of young children with disabilities receiving ECI in four centers in Singapore. A total of 291 surveys were available for analyses (response rate of 43.1%). Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that there was a fit between the current data set and the FOS-R structure proposed by the developers. Overall, the participants reported moderately high attainment of family outcomes. They also reported that the ECI programs were mostly helpful. Other aspects of the cross-cultural application of instruments were considered and implications for local service provision as well as directions for future research were discussed.