How do parents and early intervention professionals utilize educational resources about infant development and play?

Background: Parents utilize online sources to learn about health information, however few studies have examined where parents look for information about development or play for young children.Aims: Investigate parents' and early intervention (EI) providers' practices and preferences regarding parent ed-ucation about infant development and play.Study design: Cross-sectional survey design.Subjects: 112 parents and 138 EI providers participated.Outcome measures: One survey probed where parents look for information and preferred methods for receiving information about infant development and play. A second survey identified the parent education sources used and perceived quality of sources available by EI providers. Descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted.Results: 112 parents and 138 EI providers participated. A greater proportion of parents sought information about development than play. Overall, parents used internet searches and preferred websites for education about development and play; however, parents of infants at risk for developmental delay preferred receiving devel-opmental information through home visits or classes. Most EI providers have not asked parents where they look for information. A greater proportion of EI providers agreed existing sources about development, rather than about play, are high quality, but identified the need to develop high-quality sources about both topics.Conclusions: There are a variety of methods that parents access and prefer for education about infant develop-ment and play. EI providers and other healthcare professionals should discuss the methods with parents to support parents in their quest for information and ensure parents receive high-quality information.