The counseling session reveals parents who are upset at the school's lack of progress in implementing their child's Individualized Education Program. The counselor notes the parents' different ways of responding to their child's problems and indicates ways in which the parents' sense of competence may be threatened. (CL)

An important responsibility facing educational professionals is consultation with parents; few areas are as sensitive as consultation with parents of disabled children. Stages of adjustment experiences by these parents need to be taken into consideration. Professionals should become more cognizant of the emotional factors in the lives of parents…

The article offers activities and strategies that can be used prior to, during, and after the individualized education program conference to improve communication between the special educator and the parents of handicapped children. (CL)

The author, the parent of a mentally retarded child, shares her thoughts on the issue of parent participation in the handicapped child's education. (SB)

The author addresses the legal nature of parental participation in the education of handicapped children, with particular attention to involvement in the individualized education program (IEP) process as mandated by P.L. 94-142 (the Education for All Handicapped Children Act). (SW)

Although inclusion is recommended as "best practice," there is little implementation research from the parent's viewpoint. This article presents the experiences of one mother actively involved in making inclusion work for her child. Tracey's story focuses on the importance of developing parent-professional partnerships to secure a…

This article discusses recent experiences with successful special education mediations. It examines several mediation cases, focusing on common elements that may have contributed to successful resolution, including the skills of the mediator, training for mediation, development of an educational plan, the assistance of well-trained advocates, and…

To examine the characteristics and problems of training procedures for parents of handicapped children, the paper focuses on the rationale for parents as teachers, the effectiveness of different models of training procedures evident in early intervention programs, and the combination of factors (parents' motivation and needs, professional ability,…

Parents must work actively with teachers to encourage the social integration of disabled children in mainstream classrooms. The ability to initiate and maintain positive peer relationships is necessary for healthy cognitive and social growth in all children, and it helps the disabled helps to overcome destructive cycles of rejection and isolation.…

A parent center supported by the Albuquerque Public School System and the University of New Mexico promotes cooperation between parents and educators to serve exceptional children. The center was based on assumptions about money, time, personnel, parent heterogeneity, and needs/strengths as delineated in the "Mirror Model of Parent Involvement."…

Analysis of survey data of 84 early childhood teachers, 44 parents of young children with disabilities, and interviews with 7 parents and 8 teachers found that parents expressed a high degree of team involvement and teachers indicated positive attitudes toward parent involvement. Parents stressed the importance of positive attitudes and teachers…

Describes parents' perspective of the transitional period for children with special needs and provides suggestions for working cooperatively with parents. (JOW)

To improve the relationship between educators and parents of handicapped children, educators should try to understand the feelings and attitudes of the parents of a child with a disability. Listed are seven suggestions for teachers to help them work effectively with parents and encourage parent participation in the education of handicapped…

This article explains the use of mediation to improve special education partnerships between families and schools. Benefits and drawbacks to mediation are described, along with strategies for finding out about mediation in individual states and finding a mediator. Information on the Consortium for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special…

Parental involvement was a driving and decisive factor in the development of inclusive education worldwide. In South Africa parents also became the advocates of the inclusive education movement in the 1990s, paving the way for parents to be involved in the decision-making process regarding the school placement of their children with disabilities.…