There are few investigations of the involvement of parents of children with special needs (SN) in relation to the various disabilities of the children and their potential effect on teachers' attitudes towards the parental involvement (PI) in school and in the inclusion process. In a research conducted among 138 Israeli special and regular education teachers involved in the education of children with three types of disability (complex disabilities, learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders and behavioral problems) it was found that teachers of pupils with complex disabilities (such as autism or motor disabilities) have more favorable attitudes toward PI in school than teachers of children with other types of disabilities. This difference was significant at level of attitudes toward parental involvement in decision-making in general and decision making regarding the individual educational programs (IEP) for SN children in particular.Significant differences were also found between the attitudes of teachers of pupils with behavioral problems to the other teachers regarding the contribution of PI to the SN pupil and its progress in school. The findings are discussed in the light of promoting school-parents' partnerships in Israel and in other countries.

Benefits of collaboration between parents and teachers in general and parents of special needs children in particular seem allegedly obvious, but apparently the implementation of this concept in everyday life is rather complex. Interpretations regarding parental involvement (PI) and its applied implications might differ between parents and professionals. A questionnaire aiming to assess teachers' attitudes toward the involvement of parents of children with special needs in the inclusion in Israel was developed, based on three significant areas: teachers' attitudes toward the general implications of PI, toward the role of PI in decision making and toward the communication needed with the parents. 75 statements from various questionnaires were collected and analysed by experts. After this analysis, a pilot phase was performed (i.e. the questionnaire was administered to 58 Israeli teachers). The internal reliability measure was calculated to evaluate the level of correlation between each item belonging to the same dimension. Explorative factor analysis revealed internal dimensions that connect to each other. Finally, a questionnaire with 41 statements was compiled. The construction of the questionnaire is part of more extensive research, during which the reliability and the validity of the instrument will be re-examined on a larger sample of 138 participants.

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