The design and validation of a parent-report questionnaire for assessing the characteristics and quality of early intervention over time

This article concerns a parent-report repeat questionnaire to evaluate the quality of multiprofessional early intervention following early identification of deafness. It discusses the rationale for the design of the instrument, its theoretical underpinnings, its psychometric properties, and its usability. Results for the validity and reliability of the instrument are based on completion by 82 parents. The questionnaire is divided into four sections. "The description of the structure of professional services' demonstrated good face and content validity; the "content of intervention scale" yielded high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.88) and reliability (6-month test - retest correlations, rho = 0.88, r = .68; 12-month test - retest correlations, rho + 0.60, r + .82); the "process of intervention" scale yielded high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.93) and high reliability on test - retest administration (6-month test - retest correlations, r = 0.64; 12 month test - retest correlations, r = .82); and the short "overall impact" questions were answered well. The Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire was used to control for influence of parental disposition on ratings of quality of intervention. Evaluating the goodness of fit between early intervention and parental priorities/values is discussed as a vital component in improving child and family outcomes. © 2009 The Author(s).