Abstract
Masters-level students established an eight-week parent-training module in collaboration with the Good Beginnings for Babies program, which provides support, counseling, advocacy, and education for pregnant and parenting teens. They assessed the babies utilizing PDMS-2 prior to and at termination of the trainings, with significant improvements in scores at post-test. They noticed barriers, such as a lack of toys and space and found that immigration concerns led parents to not seek services for their children.
Primary Author and Speaker: Robin Akselrud
Contributing Authors: Caitlin Hoehlein, Elena Kalosinis, Amanda Petry
The purpose of this study was to assess whether the addition of a 8-week parent training module led by Masters-level Occupational Therapy students would impact developmental milestone attainment in pregnant and parenting teens that currently participate in the Good Beginnings for Babies Program at the North Shore Child Family Guidance Center.Level-one students in the Masters-level Occupational Therapy program at Hofstra University established a 8-week parent training module through collaboration with the Good Beginnings for Babies program, which provides support, counseling, advocacy and education for pregnant and parenting teens in Westbury, NY. Low-income coupled with limited access to education and health care have made a large impact on how parents interact and care for their children. Occupational therapists have the tools to facilitate intervention techniques with this underserved population, by facilitating motor development, parental education, and recommendations for future treatment.This mixed-method study examined the developmental milestones of infants and toddlers of underserved families in response to these parent education training sessions. Due to the lack of research on this topic there was a need to examine the effectiveness of such OT interventions on child development. During the 8-week trainings, the students visited the participant’s homes and educated the parents on safe sleep, tummy time, and feeding. The students also assessed the babies utilizing the PDMS-2 prior to and then at termination of the 8 trainings. They found significant improvements in 5/6 of the participant’s PDMS-2 scores following the trainings. They also referred one child to an Orthopedist for a consult, due to his delayed walking and referred several others for evaluations through the Department of Early Intervention. Students found many barriers to providing needed support to this underserved population. Many parents were hesitant or refused services due to their fear of being deported, and many others lacked resources such as toys or space for the infants to play and explore their environment. The results of the pre and post-test demonstrate the efficacy in role of the parent training modules in facilitating attainment of developmental milestones for the participating infants. In conclusion, due to the small sample size, further research must be conducted to best provide services without barriers to underserved parents and their babies.
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