Abstract
The parents, teachers, and professional caregivers of individuals with disabilities may benefit from interventions to enhance their educational skills. In previous studies, positive effects were observed of a video-feedback intervention for caregivers (i.e. parents, teachers, and professional caregivers) on their communication with an individual with congenital deafblindness. The intervention they received, was the High-Quality Communication (HQC) intervention. The aim of the current study was to gain insight into the perceived relevance, feasibility, and effectiveness (i.e., social validity) of the HQC-intervention according to these caregivers, and the correspondence between the social validity ratings and the observational effects of the HQC-intervention. Responses on the Social Validity Scale from 25 caregivers who participated in the High-Quality Communication (HQC) intervention revealed that they considered the HQC intervention to be a relevant, feasible, and effective intervention. Comparing the caregiver ratings with observational effects of the HQC intervention at the individual case level, we found no association between the observed effectiveness of this intervention and caregivers’ opinions about its relevance, feasibility and effectiveness. There was however, an association between the rated feasibility and effectiveness, which suggests that the perceived success of the intervention was influenced by caregivers’ experienced competency in supporting the communication of individuals with CDB. The combination of observational and social validity data enabled a critical analysis of the clinical value of the HQC intervention. We recommend that future studies use multiple data source for social validity assessment.
Highlights
In the field of education and care for people with disabilities, there is a growing emphasis on using interventions that improve their participation and quality of life
The analysis of the social validity outcomes in this study revealed that caregivers of individuals with congenital deafblindness (CDB) consider the High-Quality Communication (HQC) intervention to be a relevant intervention
The data show that caregivers in this study were very positive about receiving a communication intervention, which is in line with studies that report a need for communication support among caregivers of individuals with deafblindness (Janssen et al, 2003; Janssen et al, 2004; Correa-Torres, 2008)
Summary
In the field of education and care for people with disabilities, there is a growing emphasis on using interventions that improve their participation and quality of life (see Singer et al, 2017). Selecting evidence-based interventions for individuals with disabilities requires a collaborative process involving professionals, the individuals with disabilities, and their significant others. Individuals with congenital deafblindness (CDB; i.e., with combined hearing and visual impairments from birth or before the start of language development; Dammeyer, 2012; Ask Larsen and Damen, 2014) are often unable to participate in decision making about interventions. In these cases, family members or legal guardians, in collaboration with professionals, need to judge whether an intervention is required and, if so, which intervention fits best with the specific needs and characteristics of the individual
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