Raising a child has its frustrating moments; parenting a child with special needs multiplies those times, and parents often experience high levels of stress and frustration. In this article, the authors explore the challenges of parenting a child with special needs and the trials and errors of finding appropriate skills to assist in their…

Stacy Kane Greenzeig knows that being the parent of a child with special needs is a difficult, time consuming, emotionally draining, and a selfless job. As the mother of a son with disabilities, she has faced the challenges first hand and learned quickly that researching treatments, visiting doctors' offices, and working to help her child in any…

Special education professionals can play a critical role in enhancing the quality of life not only for a child with a disability but also for that child's entire family. To realize this beneficial impact on the child's family, professionals must operate with these assumptions: (1) Special education professionals must acknowledge that they have a…

This guide reviews common questions that parents of children with disabilities have about joining a board or committee, and discusses the unique strengths and skills that parents of children with disabilities bring to the group. The first part focuses on deciding to join a board or committee. Reasons to join are presented, including having a…

This bulletin brings together the concepts of parent networking and the Internet. The document highlights key free or low cost features of the Internet which have proven to be useful tools in linking together networks of parents. It addresses the following six questions: (1) What if I don't have a computer? (2) How can I get Web access? (3) How do…

This guide is intended to be a resource for parents of children with special needs who want to improve the early intervention system in North Carolina for their own children and for the whole community. By informing parents about resources that are available for children and families, the guide empowers parents as leaders. Annotated lists of…

Children with disabilities receive most of their support from families. While most family caregivers are mothers or fathers, grandparents are increasingly providing care for children with disabilities. In addition, family caregivers come from diverse cultural backgrounds that impact their views on disability. This paper reviews the literature on…

This issue of the "Early Childhood Bulletin" is a summary of information that was presented at a 1996 conference on autism sponsored by the National Early Childhood Technical Assistance System (NECTAS). Participants included Part H and Part B, Section 619 Program coordinators, individual program providers, and Interagency Coordinating…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that each state participating in the federal early intervention program establish a state interagency coordinating council (ICC) to assist and advise the state lead agencies in achieving a coordinated service delivery system. When IDEA was reauthorized in 1991, by the passage of P.L.…

Input from a variety of viewpoints is essential in complex policy discussions. Families serving on local interagency coordinating councils (LICCs) and state interagency coordinating councils (SICCs) should reflect the diversity of families served within the early intervention or preschool service system with respect to income level, ethnicity,…

Parents of children with disabilities are frequently asked to tell all or part of their family's life story. These stories are potentially powerful ways to develop empathic relationships among parents and professionals. This document discusses ways parents can prepare and present their stories so that key themes are emphasized and the information…

Since Part H Interagency Coordination Councils (ICCs) were established in 1986, parents have been discussing what the primary role of the parent member is and should be, such as providing a parent and family perspective to the work of the ICC or representing family consumers throughout their state and, as such, a wide range of needs and opinions.…

Reauthorization of P.L. 99-457, which became the Individuals with Disabilities Act Amendments of 1991, mandated the establishment of the Federal Interagency Coordinating Council (FICC) in order to help mobilize all available resources to assure appropriate services for the nation's infants and young children with disabilities and their families.…

This special double issue of the "Early Childhood Bulletin" explores issues for parents who are members of Interagency Coordinating Councils (ICCs) for their states' early intervention programs. The first article discusses issues parents may want to consider before they assume new roles in their ICC and in related activities. It also…

Addresses various remedies that courts have assigned when schools fail to comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Covers traditional remedies such as reimbursement for residential placements, related services, and legal fees, with an added emphasis on the increasingly used remedy of compensatory education and the potential for…