Family Perspectives of the Roles of Parent Training and Information Centers and Service Coordinators in Early Intervention

Although family-centeredness is a tenet of early intervention, families often report struggling to meaningfully participate in decision-making. To increase family involvement, Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) and service coordinators are charged with educating and empowering families to advocate for their children. Yet, little is known about how PTIs and service coordinators support families. We explored the perceptions of families about the supports provided by PTIs and service coordinators; by understanding their roles, targeted efforts can be made to ensure that families are meaningfully supported during early intervention. Twenty-five caregivers of children who received early intervention services participated in individual interviews. One participant reported being familiar with PTIs during early intervention. Participants reported liking their service coordinators but also reported that due to large workloads, service coordinators often did not educate them about their rights. Implications for research and practice are discussed.