Award Date

5-1-2021

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Early Childhood, Multilingual, and Special Education

First Committee Member

Jenna Weglarz-Ward

Second Committee Member

Margarita Huerta

Third Committee Member

Joseph Morgan

Fourth Committee Member

Tiberio Garza

Number of Pages

144

Abstract

Pediatricians serve a vital role in identifying young children with developmental delays and disabilities and referring families for services to support their children’s development and learning. However, past researchers indicated there is minimal research on training pediatricians on the Part C early intervention (EI) process that supports young children with developmental delays and disabilities. This study examined the effectiveness of a web-based training on pediatricians' knowledge of EI services and referral processes. The training components included interactive, online modules and paper resources directed towards an understanding of EI services. A convergent parallel mixed-methods study design was used to determine the outcomes of pediatricians’ use of the web-based training module and participants' preferred training methods. Results showed that an interactive online training for pediatricians was associated with significantly increased knowledge of EI services. It was found that the majority of participants preferred the online training method and were satisfied with the training content. Thus, the study provided the information necessary to guide future research on implementing training programs for pediatricians. Finally, these knowledge gains should lead to increases in referrals of young children that would benefit from EI services.

Keywords

Developmental Delay; Early Childhood Special Education; Early Intervention; Pediatrician; Professional Development

Disciplines

Education | Pre-Elementary, Early Childhood, Kindergarten Teacher Education | Special Education and Teaching

File Format

pdf

File Size

4300 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/


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