Journal Screenshot

International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development

Open Access Journal

ISSN: 2226-6348

Satisfaction of Early Intervention Programme among Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A Pilot Study in Malaysia

Nur Adia Syafika Mohd Noh, Sazlina Kamaralzaman, Mohamad Ghazali Masuri, Vanitha Mariappan, Hasnah Toran

http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARPED/v10-i2/10247

Open access

Early intervention services play an essential role in order to support families of the children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In Malaysia, initial development of early intervention services has started for children with ASD. In order to improve the quality of early intervention services, it is important to ascertain the perceptions of parents with children with ASD. Thus, this study was aimed to determine the correlation between demographic of parents with children with ASD related to parental satisfaction to the early intervention services at GENIUS Kurnia Centre, Malaysia. A total of 156 parents of children with ASD aged between 3 to 7 years old who were receiving the early intervention programme, participated through stratified random sampling completed the sociodemographic survey and Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8). All 156 respondents reported a high level of satisfaction through calculation of the mean score of CSQ-8, which was 28.69, with a range from 20 to 32 (SD = 3.17). Sociodemographic characteristics such as child's gender, child's current and diagnosis age, presence of health problems, parent's age and educational level, and family monthly income were found to be not related to satisfaction. Our pilot study suggested that this early intervention programme provides essential support for families of children with ASD regardless of their demographic background. In future research, it is recommended to explore other variables that are linked with parents’ satisfactions. Additionally, qualitative approaches such as interviews, should be used to measure parental satisfaction, as this will provide more insight on the parents’ experiences.

Arango, P. (2011). Family-centered care. Academic Pediatrics, 11(2), 97.
Babbie, E. R. (2015). The practice of social research. Nelson Education.
Bailey, D. B., Hebbeler, K., Scarborough, A., Spiker, D., & Mallik, S. (2004). First experiences with early intervention: A national perspective. Pediatrics, 113(4), 887-896.
Bailey, Jr. D. B., McWilliam, R. A., Darkes, L. A., Hebbeler, K., Simeonsson, R. J., Spiker, D., & Wagner, M. (1998). Family outcomes in early intervention: A framework for programme evaluation and efficacy research. Exceptional Children, 64(3), 313-328.
Banspach, S. W. (1986). An investigation of three theoretical models of parental satisfaction with early intervention programmes for handicapped preschoolers. Dissertation Abstracts International, 47(6-B), 2639.
Bass, P., & Leavitt, KI. (1963). Some experiments in planning and operating. Management Science, 9, 574-585.
Caro, P., & Derevensky, J. L. (1991). Family-focused intervention model: Implementation and research findings. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 11(3), 66-91.
Ciarlo, J. A. (Ed.). (1981). Utilizing evaluation: Concepts and measurement techniques. Sage Publications.
Corcoran, K. J., & Fischer, J. (1987). Measures for clinical practice: A sourcebook. Simon and Schuster.
Crow, H., Gage, H., Hampson, S., Hart, J., Kimber, A., Storey, L., & Thomas, H. (2002). Measurement of satisfaction with health care: Implications for practice from a systematic review of the literature. Health Technology Assessment.
De Geeter, K. I., Poppes, P. & Vlaskamp, C. (2002). Parents as experts: the position of parents of children with profound multiple disabilities. Child: Care, Health and Development, 28, 443–453.
Dromi, E., & Ingber, S. (1999). Israeli mothers' expectations from early intervention with their preschool deaf children.Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 4(1), 50-68.
Dunst, C. J. (2002). Family-centered practices: Birth through high school. The Journal of Special Education, 36(3), 141-149.
Dunst, C. J., & Dempsey, I. (2007). Family–professional partnerships and parenting competence, confidence, and enjoyment. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 54(3), 305-318.
Dunst, C. J., Trivette, C. M., & Deal, A. G. (1994). Enabling and Empowering Families. Brookline Books.
Dunst, C. J., Trivette, C. M., & Hamby, D. W. (2007). Meta?analysis of family?centered helpgiving practices research. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 13(4), 370-378.
Favez, N., Métral, E., & Govaerts, P. (2008). Parental satisfaction with a home-based intervention for developmentally delayed children in Switzerland: A survey over a 10-year period. Child Care in Practice, 14(2), 147-163.
Garshelis, J. A., & McConnell, S. R. (1993). Comparison of family needs assessed by mothers, individual professionals, and interdisciplinary teams. Journal of Early Intervention, 17(1), 36-49.
Guralnick, M. J. (2007). The system of early intervention for children with developmental disabilities. In Handbook of intellectual and developmental disabilities (pp. 465-480). Springer, Boston, MA.
Hekkert, K. D., Cihangir, S., Kleefstra, S. M., van den Berg, B., & Kool, R. B. (2009). Patient satisfaction revisited: a multilevel approach.Social Science & Medicine, 69(1), 68-75.
Hwang, B., & Hughes, C. (2000). The effects of social interactive training on early social communicative skills of children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 30(4), 331-343.
Iversen, M. D., Shimmel, J. P., Ciacera, S. L., & Prabhakar, M. (2003). Creating a family-centered approach to early intervention services: Perceptions of parents and professionals. Pediatric Physical Therapy, 15(1), 23-31.
Jackson, J. L., Chamberlin, J., & Kroenke, K. (2001). Predictors of patient satisfaction. Social Science & Medicine, 52(4), 609-620.
Johnson, B. H. (2000). Family-centered care: Four decades of progress. Families, Systems, & Health, 18(2), 137.
Konstantina, N., Eleni, F., Evangelos, K., Paraskevi, G., Vasilis, T., & Maria, S. (2014). Parental satisfaction with early intervention services for children with visual impairments and multiple disabilities in Greece. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 14(1), 60.
Lanners, R., & Mombaerts, D. (2000). Evaluation of parents' satisfaction with early intervention services within and among European countries: Construction and application of a new parent satisfaction scale. Infants & Young Children, 12(3), 61-70.
Larsen, D. L., Attkisson, C. C., Hargreaves, W. A., & Nguyen, T. D. (1979). Assessment of client/patient satisfaction: development of a general scale. Evaluation and Programme Planning, 2(3), 197-207.
Larson, M. G. (2006). Descriptive statistics and graphical displays. Circulation, 114(1), 76-81.
Latham, G. P., & Locke, E. A. (1979). Goal setting—A motivational technique that works. Organizational Dynamics, 8(2), 68-80.
Linder-Pelz, S. (1982). Social psychological determinants of patient satisfaction: a test of five hypotheses. Social Science & Medicine, 16(5), 583-589.
McBride, S. L., Brotherson, M. J., Joanning, H., Whiddon, D., & Demmitt, A. (1993). Implementation of family-centered services: Perceptions of families and professionals. Journal of Early Intervention, 17(4), 414-430.
McIntyre, L. L., & Zemantic, P. K. (2017). Examining services for young children with autism spectrum disorder: parent satisfaction and predictors of service utilization. Early Childhood Education Journal, 45(6), 727-734.
McNaughton, D. (1994). Measuring parent satisfaction with early childhood intervention programmes. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 14(1), 26-48.
Minke, K. M., & Scott, M. M. (1995). Parent-professional relationships in early intervention: A qualitative investigation. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 15(3), 335-352.
Nguyen, P. T., Lê, T. G., Empereur, F., & Briançon, S. (2002). Satisfaction of patients hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. SantePublique (Vandoeuvre-les- Nancy, France), 14(4), 345-360.
Petronzi, D., & Hadi, M. (2016). Exploring the factors associated with MOOC engagement, retention and the wider benefits for learners. European Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 19(2), 112-129.
Rogers, S. J. (1998). Neuropsychology of autism in young children and its implications for early intervention. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 4(2), 104-112.
Rosenbaum, P., King, S., Law, M., King, G., & Evans, J. (1998). Family-centred service: a conceptual framework and research review. Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, 18, 1-20.
Siok-Ping, V., & Jaladin, M. R. A. (2013). The relationship between Malaysian counselors' multicultural counseling competence and client satisfaction. Malaysia Online Journal of Psychology & Counselling, 1(1), 1-25.
Thompson, K. M. (1998). Early intervention services in daily family life: Mothers' perceptions of 'ideal' versus 'actual' service provision. Occupational Therapy International, 5(3), 206-221.
Syamsul, W. A. (2016). Pusat Permata Kurnia tempat intervensi kanak-kanak autisme – Najib. Astro Awani. Retrieved from http://astroawani.com
Wing, L. (1996). Autistic spectrum disorders: no evidence for or against an increase in prevalence. BMJ, 312, 327-328.
Young, G. J., Meterko, M., & Desai, K. R. (2000). Patient satisfaction with hospital care: effects of demographic and institutional characteristics. Medical Care, 325-334.
Ziviani, J., Darlington, Y., Feeney, R., Rodger, S., &Watter, P. (2014). Early intervention services of children with physical disabilities: Complexity of child and family needs. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 61(2), 67-75.

In-Text Citation: (Noh et al., 2021)
To Cite this Article: Noh, N. A. S. M., Kamaralzaman, S., Masuri, M. G. bin, Mariappan, V., & Toran, H. (2021). Satisfaction of Early Intervention Programme among Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A Pilot Study in Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 10(2), 931–947.