MRVI Study Updates
Study One (August-October 2016)
The goal of this study was to collect information from Teachers of Students with Visual Impairment in Early Intervention (TSVI-EIs) and other Early Intervention professionals about their current understanding of typical mealtime development skills and their experiences with families of infants and toddlers with visual impairment in mealtime routines. The MRVI Intervention Early Intervention Survey and Typical Mealtime Development Quiz was created and distributed to 1800 EI Professionals through an online survey link. This study was designed to answer the questions:
- What is the current level of knowledge expressed by TSVI-EIs and other Early Interventionists regarding independent mealtime development of young children with visual impairment?
- Is there a relationship between additional professional development (PD) and experience to scores on the Typical Mealtime Development Quiz?
Study Two (January 2017)
Twelve TSVI-EIs were brought together for a week of training on the history, data collection procedures, and purpose of the MRVI Intervention Project. Project staff with expertise in the areas of nutrition, family-centered practices, social-emotional communication, fine-motor skills, and visual development used evidence-based professional development practices to improve knowledge and skills of practitioner participants about typical mealtime development. At the end of the training, TSVI-EIs demonstrated application of adaptive strategies and family-centered practices in a recorded role-play exercise using a mealtime scenario. This study addressed the questions:
- Do TSVI-EI participants increase their knowledge of adaptive mealtime development as a result of the five-day professional development training?
- Do TSVI-EI participants use online MRVI Intervention tools at 85% competency?
- How consistently TSVI-EI participants use family-centered and coaching practices in a role model exercise?
- What challenges/successes do TSVI-EIs encounter during the training of the MRVI Intervention?
Study Three (2017-2018)
Successfully trained TSVI-EIs are implementing the MRVI Intervention with families who have agreed to participate over the next year that began January 2017. Study three explores the usability, feasibility and implementation of the MRVI Intervention, collecting data through mealtime videos with families, tablet-based tools and reflective journals. The research team is reviewing the use of family-centered and coaching practices, strategies and resources to implement the MRVI Intervention in the home, and the need for intensive weekly expert coaching to support the TSVI-EIs. Qualitative and quantitative measures are used to determine iterative changes in the MRVI Intervention to produce a quality intervention, and to determine whether the implementation of the MRVI Intervention requires ongoing coaching by Project staff, or whether it can be implemented with training and online resources alone. This study is being conducted simultaneously with Study 4. Study 3 outcomes will answer the following questions
Are there difference between coached and non-coached groups in:
- The challenges and successes encountered during the implementation of the MRVI Intervention?
- The consistency with which TSVI-EI Participants use family-centered and coaching practices to establish fidelity during the MRVI Intervention?
- The fidelity with which TSVI-EIs use the MRVI Intervention practices and online resource tools?
Study Four (January 2017-2018)
Twelve families are participating in the MRVI Intervention paired with a TSVI-EI. Study 4 will address the areas of interest in the MRVI Intervention and measure change in family/child outcomes. Several measurements have been created specifically for the MRVI Intervention Project, including a tool for recording dietary intake, the Baby Early Eating Tool of Intake and Texture (BEET IT)© and an assessment tool of social engagement, The MRVI Mealtime Communication Measure. The process of collecting this data will help to create necessary iterative changes to the MRVI Intervention as the project progresses. The related research questions are:
- Do Infants and toddlers with visual impairment demonstrate developmentally appropriate change in growth and age-expected fine motor and mealtime skills after participating in the coached and non-coached MRVI Intervention?
- Do parents/caregivers demonstrate a change in their level of confidence at mealtimes with their infants/toddlers after participating in the coached and non-coached MRVI Intervention?
- Do the infants and toddlers with visual Impairment demonstrate change in food choices and mealtime behaviors after participating in the coached and non-coached MRVI Intervention?
Study Five: Pilot Study (January 2018-January 2019)
The final study in the MRVI Intervention project will be an underpowered randomized controlled trial during which comparison of the outcomes of seven TSVI-EIs paired with seven families who implement the finalized MRVI Intervention model with seven TSVI-EIs paired with seven families who will receive EI services in a “business as usual” model. Evidence of promise for the MRVI Intervention will indicate success for the project and all TSVI-EIs will receive training in the MRVI Intervention if appropriate. This control trial will answer:
- Do Infants and toddlers with visual impairment that participate in the MRVI Intervention demonstrate more developmentally appropriate change in growth and age-expected fine motor and mealtime skills than those in the “business as usual” model?
- Do parents/caregivers that participate in the MRVI Intervention demonstrate more change in their level of confidence at mealtimes with their infants/toddlers than those in the “business as usual” model?
- Do the infants and toddlers with visual Impairment that participate in the MRVI Intervention demonstrate more change in food choices and mealtime behaviors than those in the “business as usual” model?
Study 5 Results
The MRVI Intervention Project tested the finalized content with a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT), which is the gold standard in research, in Study Five. Fourteen teachers of students with visual impairment in early intervention (TSVI-EIs) and the family participants paired with them were randomly assigned to two groups:
Seven TSVI-EIs were trained in the MRVI Intervention and had access to all of the recommended MRVI Intervention resources. The research team reviewed monthly videos of these families and assessed and monitored family and child outcomes and TSVI-EI fidelity of the use of the MRVI Intervention
Seven TSVI-EI provided “business-as-usual” vision services to their families, without access to the MRVI Intervention training or resources. The research team also reviewed monthly videos of these families and assessed and monitored family and child outcomes.
This video discusses the results of the analyzed Study Five. The video is approximately 30 minutes long and contains audio narration. Download the video transcript here.
