Presents advice from researches and practitioners on how schools can cultivate parent involvement that improves student achievement: Redefine parent involvement, train teachers to work with parents, reach out to parents, stay in touch, encourage parents to advocate for their children, and invest in family involvement. (Contains 10 online…

The article presents family systems concepts to provide rehabilitation counselors with practical guidelines for working with families of persons with disabilities and describes techniques for encouraging family participation. (Author/DB)

Defines the concept of self-determination and discusses the importance of family involvement in affecting the development and expression of self-determination in adolescents with autism and other developmental disabilities. Strategies to promote and support parental involvement in self-determination instruction are discussed. (Author/CR)

Teaching communication skills to families with a dying member presents unique challenges. As M. R. Parks' critique of interpersonal communication literature suggests, it is important to keep in mind the larger social context surrounding the person dying and to maintain a balanced perspective of information exchange (e.g., self-disclosure) and…

This article focuses on several approaches for schools to use of improve school climate, in part to prevent violence or at least to improve student behavioral conflicts, including: parent and community involvement, character education, violence-prevention and conflict-resolution curricula, peer mediation, and bullying prevention. (Contains…

Reviews common barriers to family participation in prevention services and highlights advances in strategies for recruiting families. Presents practical, detailed procedures for enlisting hard-to-reach families into prevention services and into prevention research evaluation interviews. Reports on recruitment success rates from a family counseling…

Early language developmental delay within high-risk and handicapped populations is explored, focusing on: basic guidelines and emerging directions in screening, diagnosis, and ongoing evaluation of infants, toddlers, and their families; early intervention activities in neonatal intensive care nurseries and in community settings; and future…

Examined is the impact of childhood head trauma on the family, focusing on cognitive, psychomotor, emotional, and behavioral sequelae; a review of relevant research pertaining to family reactions following head trauma; and a description of family needs, coping abilities, intervention, and advocacy. (JDD)

Strategies are presented for recruiting family members from minority groups to be involved in the formation of policies and development of programs that affect their lives and those of their young children with disabilities. Organizational strategies, strategies to empower family members, logistical strategies, and process strategies are…

The article reviews a variety of biophysical variables which contribute to autism or autistic symptoms, and discusses the nature and manifestations of these psychobiological variables in terms of the need for individual yet comprehensive educational interventions and family support services. (DLS)

This paper presents the requirements for family participation on multidisciplinary teams under Public Law 99-457, reviews literature on family participation on teams working with handicapped children, identifies factors that influence team functioning, and suggests how team members can facilitate family involvement. (Author/JDD)

This paper addresses the transition of young children from preschool programs that provide special education services to kindergarten or alternative elementary school placements. The roles of the child, family, and service providers in transition preparation, planning, implementation, and evaluation are described. Components of successful…

Discusses facilitating culturally sensitive transition plans for young children transitioning to kindergarten and their families. Addresses transition roles for families and adapting transition roles for culturally diverse families. Stresses the need for transition teams to emphasize continuity, communication, collaboration, and family concerns.…

This document is part of a series of monographs on community-based services for children and adolescents who are severely emotionally disturbed. The series is the product of a national study of community-based service approaches, which identified over 200 programs serving emotionally disturbed children and included visits to several programs…

A summary of the research on adult literacy indicated factors which make an effective program: recruitment of students centered on personal contacts, individual intake conferences, and sensitive and compassionate teachers with high morale about the program. A summary of the research in preschool literacy programs stressed that factors associated…