Baby's First Three Years: A Child Development Resource Guide for Parents with Intellectual Disabilities
Graduation Date
2006
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Document Form
Degree Name
Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy
Department
Occupational Therapy
Department or Program Chair
Ruth Ramsey, EdD, OTR/L
Thesis Advisor
Bonnie Napier-Tibere, EdD, OTR/L
Abstract
Parents with intellectual disabilities need parenting support and early-intervention services for their children. Currently there are few child development resources available written at a level parents with intellectual disabilities can understand and use. To meet this need, a child development resource guide was created for parents with intellectual disabilities to use during a child’s first three years. The resource was used during a month-long pilot study by staff at Through the Looking Glass in Berkeley, California The staff used the resource with a family and/or evaluated it through self-examination then completed a survey, rating six statements about the resource on a Likert scale. The results indicated that the resource was successful and can be an effective therapy tool to increase appropriate interactions between parents with intellectual disabilities and their children.