Metaphorical Perspectives of Parents whose Children Attended Early Intervention Process

Abstract

The most critical element of early intervention processes is the family. Increasing the awareness of families by experts in early childhood and participating in early intervention processes in this direction brings along many positive contributions for parents and their children. For this reason, it is thought that the perspectives of parents on early intervention and how they perceive this process are very important. In this study, it is aimed to examine the metaphorical perspectives of parents whose children have attended early intervention processes regard of "Early Intervention". In this research, phenomenological design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used. The data were derived from the demographic information of families and children and through a data collection form consisting of: “Early intervention is … for me” because …”. Thirty three parents, whose children were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders, Down syndrome, speech-language disorder etc., participated in this study. They completed the sentence appropriately. Data were analyzed by content analysis. During the analysis, the data were extracted and coded, and categories were created, and validity and reliability were determined and interpreted. As a result, 22 metaphors were reached, and grouped under five categories. The findings showed that parents' metaphors include; guidance, importance and criticality; the necessity of early implementation, long-term outcomes and adaptability of early intervention.