本研究主要的目的是以「家庭系統理論」為基礎，瞭解臺灣地區發展遲緩兒童家庭生活衝擊與影響因素，並建立其預測模式，以做為以家庭為中心服務方案之參考。本研究以橫斷式研究設計（cross-sectional study design），應用「特幼兒家庭生活品質問卷」（Family Quality of Life Questionnaire for Young Children with Special Needs, FQoLQ-YCSN）中「家庭生活衝擊量表」為工具，於臺灣地區25個縣市之27個早療個管中心社工及教保人員的協助下，以遲緩兒家長為對象進行自陳式（self-report）問卷調查，立意取樣的結果共發出705份問卷，同意參與研究且填寫完整者為415位（回收率58.9％），問卷資料以t考驗、單因子變異數分析（ANOVA）、多變項變異數分析（MANOVA）、積差相關及逐步迴歸分析（Stepwise Regression）等統計方法進行資料分析。研究結果發現：（1）發展遲緩兒童「家庭生活衝擊量表」以探索性因素分析的結果分為四項主要的生活衝擊，即：家庭每日生活常規、家庭情感溝通及問題解決、家庭互動與社交生活及家庭成長與生涯發展等四個因素等項目，其解釋變異量為82.02％，其中以「家庭成長與生涯發展之衝擊」為最大；（2）以家庭／家長／遲緩兒童之背景資料及所接受的服務方案等為自變項分析發現：發展遲緩兒童「整體家庭生活衝擊」的影響因素，包括：家庭經濟收支狀況、照顧者家庭責任、遲緩兒照護責任、遲緩兒障礙程度、時托療育服務、融合班療育服務、社會福利補助、及身心障礙手冊等變項（p＜.05）；（3）遲緩兒年齡、中低收入戶補助、同住一屋家人數、及日托早療服務方案等四個變項是為「整體家庭生活衝擊」之預測因子（解釋變異量28.4％）。根據本研究發現，分別就遲緩兒家庭危險因子之評估及以家庭為中心之早療服務方案之規劃等，在遲緩兒童早期療育實務實用性、早療專業人員培育的實用性及進一步研究提出適當的建議。

Background: A multivariate approach to the study of relationships between family life impact of the young children with developmental disability (DD) and parents/family/child demographic and service program variables has not examined in a large, multi-site sample in Taiwan. The purpose of this study was to describe family life impact, examine relationships between family life impact and demographic and service programs of early interventions, and identify predictors of family life impact in the young children with DD. Methods: Data were collected from nonrandom sample of 25 counties of Taiwan (27 Case Management and Early Intervention Centers of the young children with DD) (n=415). The well credit, reliable, and self-report instrument of Family Life Impact of young children with special need (FLI-YCSN) was used. The data obtained were statistically analysised by factor analysis, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), Pearson's correlation, canonical correlation, stepwise regression. Results: Family life impact can be classified into four dimensions: Family daily routine impact, Family emotion ＆ problem solving impact, Family interaction ＆ social impact, and Family self-development ＆ career impact. The most impact factor was Family self-development ＆ career. A significant difference on total family life impact was found among the family financial status, parent's burden for maintaining family function, severity of disabilities, hour and inclusive early intervention, welfare, and credit for disability. Four out of 38 variables were significant predictors and explained 28.4% the variance of family life impact: the welfare of low income, persons of family, day care service of early intervention, and age of child with DD. Conclusions: Predictors of family life impact in the young children with DD were primarily welfare of low income. Knowledge of these factors provides (1) information to identify the high risk family and (2) direction for the development of family empowerment service program to attenuate the negative family life impact of the young children with DD.