Evaluating a Family Capacity-Building Service: Are We Doing More Good Than Harm?
Marie Grandisson, Myriam Chrétien-Vincent, Gabrielle Pratte and 5 others
PMID 40079808WHAT IT FOUND
Seven families used a flexible, coaching-based OT service.
Parents felt less judged and more confident. Children improved in at least one daily routine. The service was designed to build capacity without adding to family stress.
Key findings
01All seven families reported positive personal changes and changes in their children, with no parent reporting that the service negatively affected their family, except for one who found adding sessions demanding at a certain point.
02Every child showed a clinically important improvement of at least two points on the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure in at least one priority area for both performance and satisfaction.
03Parents highlighted that the nonjudgmental relationship with the therapist and the flexibility of the service were key strengths that prevented the intervention from feeling like a burden.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study included only seven families, which limits the generalizability of the findings. The sample was not as diverse as intended; only one family identified as belonging to an underrepresented minority. The service was evaluated by the same team that developed it, which may introduce bias. The study did not include a control group, so it is not possible to determine if the outcomes were due to the specific service design or natural development. The COPM was used as the primary outcome measure, which relies on parent perception and may not capture objective changes in child performance.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec. The authors disclosed no other conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this as evidence that this specific service model works better than standard care. The study was a small pilot without a control group, and the positive outcomes were based on parent-reported measures. The lack of diversity in the sample means these results may not apply to families facing significant barriers to care.