Date Presented 04/03/2025
The MyFACE measures change to support work with families raising children with disabilities to encourage community participation, thereby driving participation outcomes in practice. The Friendly Faces for Families (FF4F) provides guidance to support families’ community engagement
Primary Author and Speaker: Helen Bourke-Taylor
PURPOSE: Parental experiences influence the community participation of children with disabilities. The My Family’s Accessibility and Community Engagement (MyFACE) tool measures parental perspectives and underpinned development Friendly Faces For Families (FF4F). The purpose of this paper is to describe the MyFACE and the development of FF4F. Research questions included: How psychometrically sound is the MyFACE and what are the key components required to build a information site that supports parents to lead their families to engage in community participation.
DESIGN: A psychometric design provided initial evidence of sound psychometric properties for the MyFACE tool. A sample of 160 parents of children with disabilities took part in the design and evaluation of MyFACE. Additionally, qualitative research informed development of the FF4F program.
METHOD: The MyFACE tool was used alongside Depression Anxiety Stress Scales and measures of health behaviours to investigate the construct validity. Tests of internal reliability, factor analysis, correlations, tests investigating between group difference and regression models were applied.
RESULTS: The nine-item MyFACE tool has excellent content and construct validity and good internal reliability (Cronbach’s alpha=.85). Hypothesis testing correlated MyFACE with maternal factors (mental health and healthy behavior) and child factors (psychosocial issues). Two regression models identified maternal depressive symptoms and frequency of maternal health behaviours as most impactful of variation in MYFACE scores. These factors influenced design of FF4F.
CONCLUSION: Getting out and about in the community is important for all families, but especially so for families raising children with disabilities which can be more isolating. Impact Statement Occupational therapists play a large role supporting families to facilitate their own participation. MyFACE enables measurement of parent perceptions of community participation.
References
Bourke-Taylor, H. M., Joyce, K. S., & Tirlea, L. (2022). Initial development and evaluation of the My Family’s Accessibility and Community Engagement (MyFACE) tool for families of children with disabilities. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 76, 7604205150. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2022.048009
Bourke-Taylor, H. M., Joyce, K., Tirlea, L. (2021) Further psychometric evaluation of the My Family’s Accessibility and Community Engagement (My FACE) tool: Mothers’ ratings of perceptions of community accessibility and engagement for their child with disabilities. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 114(7), 103955. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2021.103955
Bourke-Taylor, H. M., Joyce, K., Tirlea, L., Morgan, P., & Reddihough, D. (2021). Maternal and child factors associated with the health-promoting behaviours of mothers of children with a developmental disability. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 118(11), 104069, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2021.104069
Bourke-Taylor, H. M., Cotter, C., Joyce, K., Reddihough, D., & Brown, T. (2022) Fathers of children with a disability: Health, work and family life issues. Disability and Rehabilitation, 44(16), 4441–4451. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2021.1910739
