Health Professions

Feature Article

Correlates of Community Participation Among Families Transitioning From Part C Early Intervention Services

Mary Alunkal Khetani, ScD, OTR; Gael Orsmond, PhD; Ellen Cohn, ScD, OTR, FAOTA; Mary C. Law, PhD, FCAOT, FCAHS, OT Reg (Ontario); Wendy Coster, PhD, OTR, FAOTA

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine factors that best discriminated among families based on their level of community participation when transitioning from Part C early intervention services. Data were drawn from 2,003 families enrolled in the National Early Intervention Longitudinal Study and who completed a 40-minute computerized telephone interview. Classification and Regression Tree (CART) analysis was used to examine correlates of full and limited community participation among these families from variables representing child, family, and service factors. Two classification trees were developed that suggest difficulty in managing behavior is a significant barrier to community participation and is associated with degree of social support. Based on this association, occupational therapists could elicit information from caregivers about their strategies to manage problematic behavior during community events to identify whether families experience participation restriction. Future studies should examine whether problematic behavior restricts young children’s participation in activities other than community events.

AUTHORS

Mary Alunkal Khetani, ScD, OTR, is Postdoctoral Associate, Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts. Gael Orsmond, PhD, is Associate Professor, and Ellen Cohn, ScD, OTR, FAOTA, is Clinical Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, Boston University, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College, Boston, Massachusetts. Mary C. Law, PhD, FCAOT, FCAHS, OT Reg (Ontario), is Professor, School of Rehabilitation Science, and Co-Founder, CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research, McMaster University, Hamilton Ontario, Canada. Wendy Coster, PhD, OTR, FAOTA, is Professor and Chair, Department of Occupational Therapy, and Acting Chair, Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training, Boston University, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Sargent College, Boston, Massachusetts.

The authors have no financial or proprietary interest in the materials presented herein.

This manuscript was accepted under the editorship of Jane Case-Smith, EdD, OTR/L, FAOTA.

Address correspondence to Mary Khetani at mary.khetani@colostate.edu

doi: 10.3928/15394492-20111028-02

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