This book contains a series of articles, written by international experts in the fields of intellectual disability and quality of life, that explore a broad range of issues that impact on the quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities and their families. The book commences with a general discussion on defining quality of life and family quality of life and the appropriateness of using these constructs in the field of intellectual disability, and is followed by an analysis on the effects of living arrangements and employment on quality of life. The book concludes with discussions on the unique issues facing children with intellectual disabilities and people living in developing countries and the effect these issues have upon their quality of life.

This book focuses on the treatment of families at psychosocial risk, outlining an integrative approach to early intervention, and providing both a theoretical and a very practical approach to intervention with the most at-risk families.

This study investigated the association between family socioeconomic status, family race/ethnicity, quality of services and the impact of those services on the family for families who had participated in a northeastern state2s IDEA, Part C Early Intervention Program. Data for this study came from 1,108 families who responded to a survey distributed by the state2s Early Intervention Program. The survey contained two Rasch-based measurement scales designed to yield measures of family perceptions of the quality of early intervention services they had received and the impact of those services on their family. Results of the study indicated that measures of quality of services were significantly and positively related to family outcomes. However, neither family race/ethnicity nor socioeconomic status was associated with quality of services. Results related to the strong association between quality of services and positive family outcomes are interpreted in light of previous research on the outcomes of family-centered care models. Results related to the parity of service quality across racial/ethnic and socioeconomic groups are interpreted in relation to two important characteristics of high-quality programs: cultural competency and service coordination.

Decades of research have demonstrated that the parent-child dyad and the environment of the familyâ€"which includes all primary caregiversâ€"are at the foundation of children's well- being and healthy development. From birth, children are learning and rely on parents and the other caregivers in their lives to protect and care for them. The impact of parents may never be greater than during the earliest years of life, when a child's brain is rapidly developing and when nearly all of her or his experiences are created and shaped by parents and the family environment. Parents help children build and refine their knowledge and skills, charting a trajectory for their health and well-being during childhood and beyond. The experience of parenting also impacts parents themselves. For instance, parenting can enrich and give focus to parents' lives; generate stress or calm; and create any number of emotions, including feelings of happiness, sadness, fulfillment, and anger. Parenting of young children today takes place in the context of significant ongoing developments. These include: a rapidly growing body of science on early childhood, increases in funding for programs and services for families, changing demographics of the U.S. population, and greater diversity of family structure. Additionally, parenting is increasingly being shaped by technology and increased access to information about parenting. Parenting Matters identifies parenting knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with positive developmental outcomes in children ages 0-8; universal/preventive and targeted strategies used in a variety of settings that have been effective with parents of young children and that support the identified knowledge, attitudes, and practices; and barriers to and facilitators for parents' use of practices that lead to healthy child outcomes as well as their participation in effective programs and services. This report makes recommendations directed at an array of stakeholders, for promoting the wide-scale adoption of effective programs and services for parents and on areas that warrant further research to inform policy and practice. It is meant to serve as a roadmap for the future of parenting policy, research, and practice in the United States.

The purpose of the present research study was to gain a better understanding of the framework of Family Centered Practice (FCP) in Early Intervention (EI). FCP is considered best practice in EI service delivery. Due to the lack of empirical research regarding FCP in EI, the current research study surveyed participants' perception of FCP in EI. Participants (N=53) were employees throughout sixteen Children's Developmental Services Agencies (CDSA) in the state of North Carolina. Participants completed a modified version of the Family-Centered Care Self-Assessment Tool (FCC-SAT). Consistent with former research, results highlight that EI professionals perceive that their own work is family-centered. Since EI is mandated by federal law, findings underscore the importance of FCP in this field, not only in North Carolina, but throughout the United States.