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IES Grant

Title: TEIDS Plus: Integrating Quality Assurance and Data-Based Decision Making To Enhance IFSP Quality, Implementation, and Child and Family Outcomes
Center: NCSER Year: 2007
Principal Investigator: McWilliam, Robin Awardee: Siskin Children's Institute
Program: Early Intervention and Early Learning      [Program Details]
Award Period: 7/1/2007 to 6/30/2011 Award Amount: $1,750,857
Type: Development and Innovation Award Number: R324B070003
Description:

Purpose: Despite being compliant with state and federal requirements, Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSP) are often poorly written. They do not provide detailed descriptions of services to be provided, child and family goals, and criteria for determining when a goal has been achieved. More importantly, IFSPs as they are currently written do not guarantee high quality early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. Because IFSPs can be in compliance with regulations and still not meet criteria for substantive quality, a need exists for the development of systemic interventions that employ effective and practical strategies for increasing the quality and usefulness of these plans.

The research team is addressing this need though developing and evaluating a web-based quality assurance system, Tennessee Early Intervention Data System Plus. This system will build upon the existing Tennessee data system. It will incorporate components related to statutory requirements and recommended practices for developing and implementing quality IFSPs and improving child and family outcomes. The purpose of this study is to develop and conduct an initial evaluation of whether use of the Tennessee Early Intervention Data System Plus leads to higher quality IFSPs, improved fidelity to IFSP implementation, and improved child and family outcomes.

Project Activities: Three phases of research are planned. During the first phase, the Tennessee Early Intervention Data System Plus will be developed and refined. A feasibility study will be conducted during the second phase to validate the quality assurance system components and outcome measures. During the third phase, an initial evaluation of the quality assurance system will be conducted. Two districts in Tennessee will implement the Tennessee Early Intervention Data System Plus, and two will continue to use the existing Tennessee system. A combination of quantitative and qualitative data analysis strategies will be used to provide evidence of the potential effect of the Tennessee Early Intervention Data System Plus on IFSP quality, IFSP implementation, early intervention services quality, and child and family outcomes.

Products: Expected outcomes include the Tennessee Early Intervention Data System Plus web-based system and reports on the potential effect of the Tennessee Early Intervention Data System Plus on child and family outcomes and IFSP and early intervention services quality and implementation.

Structured Abstract

Setting: The early intervention system districts are located in Tennessee.

Population: Approximately 200 service coordinators across four districts will participate in this research. Each service coordinator will randomly select 15 children and families from their caseload.

Intervention: The newly developed quality assurance system will build upon the existing data system in Tennessee. It will address five key components: functional assessment, functional goal planning, linking functional goals to services decisions, integrating service delivery and service decisions, and monitoring progress. Practitioners will view a series of prompts or guiding questions about the IFSP process as they proceed through various stages of IFSP development with each child and family. In addition to these guiding questions, links to additional resources (e.g., presentations, video clips, procedural guidelines) will be available.

Research Design and Methods: Three phases of research are planned. During the first phase, the quality assurance system will be developed and refined. The quality assurance system components and outcome measures will be validated during the second phase by conducting a feasibility study in one early intervention district in Tennessee. During the third phase, an initial evaluation of the quality assurance system will be conducted. Two districts in Tennessee will implement the Tennessee Early Intervention Data System Plus, and two will continue to use the existing Tennessee system.

Control Condition: The control districts will continue with implementation of the existing Tennessee system.

Key Measures: Child communication, movement, problem-solving, and social interaction skills will be assessed. In addition, data related to family participation in IFSP development, provider knowledge and skills about recommended practices in IFSP development and implementation, quality of IFSPs, IFSP implementation, early intervention service delivery quality, and cost will be collected.

Data Analytic Strategy: A combination of quantitative and qualitative data analysis strategies including hierarchical linear modeling will be used to conduct an initial evaluation of the quality assurance system on IFSP quality, IFSP implementation, early intervention service quality, and child and family outcomes.

Publications

Journal article, monograph, or newsletter

Ridgley, R., Snyder, P.A., McWilliam, R.A., and Davis, J.E. (2011). Development and Initial Validation of a Professional Development Intervention to Enhance the Quality of Individualized Family Service Plans. Infants and Young Children, 24(4): 309–328. doi:10.1097/IYC.0b013e318229e54d


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