143
Posters Advancing Comprehensive Early Childhood Intervention
Session 1
FAMILIES Topic - Family Capacity Building p1.01 A Barefoot Training Toolkit to Work With Children With Developmental Disabilities in Resource Constrained Settings Presenting Author: Shabnam Rangwala (India) Affiliation: Project Noor & MAITS Co-Author: Mel Adams This poster presents a 3-tier training program aimed at supporting non-professionals who provide support to caregivers of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities to promote their health and development. This program progresses from a Level 1 training given to grassroots workers by Level 2 Trainers who comprise a mix of professionals (PT and/or OT and SLT) to Level 3, who is a Master trainer for a region. MAITS Master Trainers train Level 2 trainers in different countries to create a cadre of resource persons that can support families in most marginalized settings. The training program is supplemented with a barefoot training toolkit, Guide for Parents, that aims to enable grassroots workers to guide and track caregivers on how to provide appropriate support to children with developmental disabilities within a functional and strengths-based paradigm. p1.02 Developing Resources to Empower Caregivers of Infants and Toddlers Parents and caregivers play pivotal roles in facilitating a young child’s development, but often lack accessible, evidence-based resources to guide them. As part of Mission I’m Possible2, we seek to empower caregivers of infants and toddlers by designing information packages grounded in child development principles, which translate early developmental concepts into practical, culturally and contextually relevant strategies. We examine: (1) the rationale for content selection, covering motor, sensory, cognitive, and socio-emotional development; (2) the iterative design process, which involved stakeholder inputs, pilot testing, and refinement to ensure clarity and usability; (3) strategies for dissemination through existing digital parent and educator platforms utilizing various formats, including infographics and bite-sized videos to enhance accessibility and engagement; and (4) evaluation methods, examining their advantages and limitations to guide effective implementation and ongoing refinement. This project underscores the importance of enriched developmental environments and caregiving which support healthy child development, ultimately enhancing caregiver confidence and capability. p1.03 Development of Koza (Cacoon) Parent-to-Parent Support Program for Parents of Neurodiverse Children Presenting Author: D. Merve Tuna (Turkey) Affiliation: Independent Co-Author: Ibrahim H Diken Presenting Author: Corrine Hoo Kar Ling (Singapore) Affiliation: KK Women's and Children's Hospital Co-Authors: Rina Chandra, Mary Lee Lay Choo, Ng Le Xin, Shereen Matthews, Yang Liying In this study, the development process of the Koza Parent-to-Parent Support Program was examined in collaboration with parents of children with neurodiversity, focusing on the creation of social-emotional, advocacy, and informational support components to explore parents' experiences of empowerment. The research was designed as action research. Participants in the study were parents (n:22) and siblings (n:3) of neurodiverse (ASD, DS, WS, CP) children. Actions, observations, and interviews conducted in the research emphasize the importance of evaluating the early challenges faced by parents within a socio-cultural context upon diagnosis. It was identified that coming together, sharing their experiences, rewriting their own stories, and forming social support networks could be effective tools for parental empowerment. Various data collection methods such as interviews, observations, document analysis, and checklists were employed in the research. Due to pandemic conditions, online conferences and media tools were used for data collection during the program development process, which included activities such as listening practices, role-playing, discussions, and expert invitations. Parents had been empowered in the domains of social-emotional support, advocacy, and knowledge. Concurrent with the literature, parent-to-parent support programs can be considered complementary to early childhood special education services, highlighting the need for efforts directed towards parental empowerment.
p1.04 Dialogues With Parents: Nurturing Families, Strengthening the Community Presenting Author: Ana Teresa Brito (Portugal) Affiliation: EDUNOVA.ISPA, Brazelton/Gomes Pedro Foundation Co-Authors: Celina Carvalho, Leonor Carvalho, Lina Teixeira, Maria Raul Lobo Xavier
This presentation describes a Portuguese parental capacity- building project - Dialogues with Parents - based on the Touchpoints Model, which is grounded in a developmental and relational framework that promotes the well-being of children and families. It aims to support multi-challenged families with children up to the age of 6 at risk or with disabilities, in a collaborative and empathetic way. It also intends to strengthen communities, particularly through the involvement of early childhood intervention professionals who work with children and their families, enhancing the use of community resources. A total of 20 parental encounters will be held, with 60 hours of direct contact with families. Preliminary results will be presented. Expected outcomes are parental well-being and confidence, a sense of self-efficacy and a deeper understanding of children's development.
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