Collaborative Relationships Between Families and Speech-Language Pathologists Within Family-Centered Early Intervention

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to generate a theory, grounded in data, explaining the collaborative relationships between speech-language pathologists and families in family-centered early intervention. Method: Using constructivist grounded theory methodology, three pairs of clinicians and families allowed participatory observations, video recording of sessions, parent interviews, clinician interviews, and documentation collection. Seven additional pairs of clinicians and families were interviewed, culminating in 20 total interviews. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method, and a substantive theory emerged. Results: From this data set, the substantive theory is that family–professional collaborative relationships are established and maintained by participants in family-centered early intervention via a constant process of feedback loops. These loops are cyclical social interactions, incorporating each of the participants' backgrounds and building shared knowledge with informational interactions, in which the participants establish and meet expectations and give and accept agency from each of the participants. Conclusions: The individual relationships varied, as shown in the variation of the themes in individual experiences. The collaborative clinical relationship at the heart of family-centered early intervention, however, requires the continual process of feedback between social interactions, background, informational interactions, expectations, and agency to be considered by professionals. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.30429991