Can Routinely Collected Early Intervention Data for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children Be Used for Outcome Monitoring? A Case Example from British Columbia, Canada. (2nd January 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Poon, Brenda T.; Simmons, Noreen R.
• Is Part Of: Deafness & education international. Volume 18:Number 1(2016)
• Page Start: 25
• Page End: 37
• Publication Date: 2016-01-02
• Subjects: early intervention -- hearing loss -- deaf -- hard of hearing -- outcome monitoring -- routinely collected data -- administrative data -- coordinated system; Deaf -- Education -- Periodicals; Deafness -- Periodicals; Teachers of the deaf -- Periodicals; Deaf -- Rehabilitation -- Periodicals; 371.91205
• DOI: 10.1080/14643154.2015.1102470
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1464-3154

Abstract

Abstract : Population-based outcome monitoring could provide useful information about factors that differentially influence the developmental trajectories of deaf or hard-of-hearing children. A strong basis for population-based outcome monitoring is a coordinated, longitudinal data collection, and management infrastructure that includes quality local indicators, which in turn contribute to a larger state/province or national data infrastructure that supports programme evaluation and policymaking. Quality routinely collected data from early intervention programmes would contribute critical information to a coordinated database infrastructure for monitoring outcomes of children with hearing loss. The present paper explores, through a case example of a specialized early intervention programme for deaf or hard-of-hearing children in British Columbia, Canada, the strengths and limitations of utilizing routinely collected early intervention data for outcome monitoring purposes. A number of the sampling, missing data, and reliability issues were encountered with the locally collected database. We propose that a coordinated, long-term population-based longitudinal outcome monitoring approach requires further consideration and examination of the complex systems in which early intervention services are embedded.