Effective Strategies For Involving Families in Intervention Efforts

Abstract

As pointed out in a previous review article (Winton , 1986), this approach to parents was in keeping with special education traditions. The role of special educators within the service delivery system has been to promote child progress; involving parents as a means for reaching this end was not unreasonable. The development of programs and materials for training teachers has been another traditional domain for special educators; extending these efforts in the direction of parents was a logical step. Research documented the success of many of these efforts in terms of particular child behaviors and skills (Baker, 1984). But rarely, if ever, did researchers evaluate programs in terms of their success at improving parent outcomes or meeting parents' individual needs. Additionally, in spite of professionals ' efforts to devise exemplary parent involvement programs and to increase parent participation in those programs, evidence showed participation to be low (Rosenberg, Reppucci, & Linney, 1983) and attrition high (Kopper-Roland, 1986). This suggested that the needs of parents were not universally being met. FOCUS On Exceptional cflildren FOCUS ON EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN (ISSN00l5-5JJX)

Occupational therapists' attitudes toward family-centered care

“…They are also supported by the institution (subjective norm) that values their assistance in enhancing the training experiences of their health professionals Returning to this study, empowering families to be leaders in the process where they can serve as equal partner role models to clinicians appears to foster clinicians' positive attitudes toward these families. This has been substantiated in the literature, which reported that experience with families in equal context roles facilitates positive attitudes toward these families (Winton, 1990(Winton, , 1996.…”