255284 Community-Based Developmental Screening… What Happens Next? Families' Experiences in Connecting with Recommended Services

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Jennifer Marshall, MPH , Community & Family Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Linda Raffaele Mendez, PhD , School Psychology Program, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Background: Community-based efforts to increase rates of developmental screening and completed referrals to assessment and intervention services have shown promise. We sought to quantify linkage and access to evaluation or other community services after participation in a community-based developmental screening program, identify barriers to access, and assess satisfaction with services.

Methods: Developmental screening participants were contacted 6-18 months post screening and invited to describe what happened after referral to agencies providing audiology and vision assessments, parenting support, child care, intervention programs, therapy, and behavioral services. Responses to closed and open-ended questions were analyzed using SAS 9.2 and Atlas.ti.

Results: Parents of 57 out of 101 eligible participants (ages 2.7-5.3) completed a telephone survey regarding 74 service referrals. Most children referred qualified for services, except for 30% of referrals to speech evaluation. Parents were satisfied with the developmental screening and 70% of children were connected to recommended services. However, only 54% of connected parents reported that the service met their needs, and 62% were satisfied with services received. Parents of children not connected to referred services reported lost paperwork, difficulty reaching program staff, and long waiting lists. Many elected to receive private therapy services. Continuing unmet needs were reported for 31% of respondents.

Conclusion: Due to increased focus on program effectiveness, accountability, and impact, public health programs increasingly attend to outcomes measurement. Organizational and community-level factors act as barriers to accessing services. Attention to outcomes and impact can improve both short term outcomes and long term impacts for children and families

Learning Areas:
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Program planning
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
To discuss challenges and opportunities faced by collaborating agencies and parents in meeting the needs of young children identified with developmental or behavioral concerns identified at a community-based developmental screening program.

Keywords: Access and Services, Children With Special Needs

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have over 20 years professional and academic experience in child development and early intervention, and have conducted several community-based research projects related to access to services for children with special needs and their families. I hold an MPH and am currently a doctoral candidate in community and family health with a focus on developmental screening and child development and health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.