Date of Award
12-2025
Culminating Project Type
Starred Paper
Styleguide
apa
Department
Special Education
College
School of Education
First Advisor
Frances Kayona
Second Advisor
Debbie Wheeler
Third Advisor
Melisa Brever L
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Keywords and Subject Headings
Communication challenges, Early Intervention, Caregiver-Provider Collaboration, Servicer Provider, Intervention strategies
Abstract
This starred paper provides a narrative evaluation of the relationships between caregivers and providers in early intervention for infants and toddlers facing communicative challenges. The review, grounded in family-centered care and ecological systems theory, explores three key questions: (1) What practices enable effective two-way, collaborative communication? (2) In what ways do referral and enrollment pathways influence caregiver engagement? (3) How do caregivers and providers perceive their ongoing collaboration? Recent studies indicate that strong collaborations based on shared objectives, the incorporation of coaching into daily routines, reliable language access, and respect for cultural norms and extended-family roles are linked to greater caregiver confidence, higher service usage, and advancements in children's communication abilities. Ongoing challenges consist of uncertainties about referral systems, lack of collaboration on child development goals and intervention strategies, and inequitable treatment of multilingual and low-income families. Practice implications include establishing two-way communication, standardizing culturally relevant coaching, and enhancing the well-being of caregivers. Paper recommendations emphasize a focus on service providers strengthening family-centered communication by consistently inviting caregiver participation in every phase of early intervention.
Recommended Citation
Ofem, Ebere, "Bridging Communication Gaps: A Review of Caregiver-Provider Partnerships in Early Intervention for Communication Delays in Infants and Toddlers" (2025). Culminating Projects in Special Education. 236.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/sped_etds/236
