Using interactive multimedia to teach parent advocacy skills: an exploratory study

Abstract

Objective: To examine the efficacy of Brain Injury Partners: Advocacy Skills for Parents, an interactive multimedia intervention that provides training in educational advocacy skills for parents of children with traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Design: Randomized trial, with participants assigned to treatment (Brain Injury Partners CD-ROM) or control (alternate CD-ROM) conditions.

Main outcome measures: Knowledge; skill application; and attitude, behavioral intention, and self-efficacy to use key advocacy skills.

Participants: Thirty-one parents of children with TBI.

Results: The Brain Injury Partners group reported higher postintervention adjusted means for application, knowledge, and attitudes scale scores than did the control group.

Conclusions: The results demonstrate the utility of a computer-delivered intervention for training parents in key skills for communicating with school personnel.