Consultation with parents of preschool children with special needs

Abstract

This study investigates the perceptions, preferences and goals of parents of handicapped preschool children regarding psychological consultation. Two survey questionnaires which were developed for prior studies are utilized to probe the research questions: (1) What are parents priorities for consultation services?, (2) What do parents hope to gain from consultation? and, (3) What model of consultation do parents prefer? A demographic information sheet was included. Each questionnaire was examined for specific information that indicated the source of parental concerns, i.e., Assessment Information, Behavioral Concerns, Home/Family Issues, and School Problems. Results indicate that behavioral concerns are the primary reason that parents seek consultation. Additionally, 57% of the 70 respondents identified a lack of confidence in their own ability to cope with the identified problem situation as the motivation for seeking consultation. The survey indicated that almost half of those polled prefer a collaborative/behavioral model of consultation. This study addresses the implications for service delivery for special education preschool consultation as well as the preferred models of consultation.