Purpose: Increasing demand for autism services is straining service systems. Tailoring services to best meet families' needs could improve their quality of life and decrease burden on the system. We explored overall, best, and worst met service needs, and predictors of those needs, for families of children with autism spectrum disorders. Methods:…

Designed for parents who wish to develop local respite care services for families with disabled children, this primer outlines strategies for: evaluating current available services and programs; pulling people together; conducting a needs assessment; raising money; and writing a proposal. (CB)

This conference proceedings reports on a 1989 meeting addressing respite care for families of children with mental, emotional or behavioral disorders. The conference addressed: (1) respite care concepts, programs, and issues; and (2) planning for designing, financing, and implementing state and local respite programs. The report contains the…

Analyses involving 105 biological mothers of children (ages birth to adult) with mild/moderate or severe/profound retardation revealed a low level of use of respite care across groups and no significant difference between groups. The discrepancy between demonstrated need and service utilization is highlighted. (Author/JDD)

This brief paper reviews six studies which examined out-of-home placement by Israeli parents of children with severe developmental disabilities. Implications for policy and practice are drawn, including the need for respite-care services, extended hours in schools, recreation programs, support services for parents, and training programs for…

This report examines respite care services that provide temporary relief to family members and other caretakers of children at risk of abuse or neglect including children who are mentally retarded, behaviorally disturbed, physically disabled, or chronically or terminally ill. In 1988 the 25 states surveyed funded 111 respite care programs as did…

In focus group interviews, 39 parents of children (ages birth to 21 years) with developmental disabilities, emotional disorders, and technology-supported needs shared their perspectives regarding special needs, crisis situations, and parent/professional relationships. The purpose of the study was to determine what is necessary to keep children…

This monograph describes Families First, a family-designed system of mental health care for children in Essex County, New York. Philosophical principles of family-driven service delivery are outlined and illustrated with comments from participants. The planning that went into developing the Families First program is described, including initial…