Parental Needs

Abstract

A fundamental requirement at an IEP conference is individualization for the child; however, little consideration has been given to the individualization of the parents'need for information. Therefore, this study was designed to determine, prioritize, and compare the informational needs of parents at different stages in the educational life cycle of their son or daughter with a handicapping condition. Forty pairs of parents who had a child with mental retardation between 3 weeks and 12 years old were included in the study. A semistructured interview approach was used to collect the data. Results of the interviews suggested that parental need for information and service is ongoing. The concerns expressed by parents of children with handicaps also resembled the developmental tasks encountered by most parents.