This article describes perceptions of professionals and parents of the current and ideal state of family involvement in early intervention in Sweden. Both professionals and parents expressed significant discrepancies between current and ideal practices in four dimensions: parent involvement in decisions about child assessment, parent participation in assessment, parent participation in the team meeting and decision making, and the provision of family goals and services. Professionals showed preferences for a higher degree of family involvement. In identifying barriers, both professionals and parents most frequently mentioned system barriers. Causes for the discrepancies include the need for training and earlier inclusion of parents in the case management process.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BaileyD. B. (1988). Rationale and model for family assessment in early intervention. In BaileyD. B. & SimeonssonR. J. (Eds.), Family assessment in early intervention (pp. 1–26). Columbus, OH: Merrill.
2.
BaileyD. B.BuysseV.EdmondsonR., & SmithT. M. (1992). Creating family-centered services in early intervention: Perceptions in four states. Exceptional Children, 58, 298–309.
3.
BaileyD. B.BuysseV., & PalshaS. A. (1990). Self-ratings of professional knowledge and skills in early intervention. Journal of Special Education, 23, 423–435.
4.
BaileyD. B.PalshaS. A., & SimeonssonR. J. (1991). Professional skills, concerns, and perceived importance of work with families in early intervention. Exceptional Children, 58, 156–165.
5.
BaileyD. B., & SimeonssonR. J. (1988). Family assessment in early intervention. Columbus, OH: Merrill.
6.
BilleB., & OlowI. (1992). Barnhabilitering vid rörelsehinder [Habilitation for children with motor disabilities]. Falköping: Almqvist & Wiksell.
7.
Björck-ÅkessonE. (1992). Samspel mellan små barn med rörelsehinder och talhandikapp och deras föräldrar—En longitudinell studie [Communicative interaction between young children with physical disabilities and speech impairment and their parents—A longitudinal study]. Göteborg: Göteborg Studies in Educational Sciences, 90, Acta Universitatis Gothoburgensis.
8.
BrodinJ., & LindbergM. (1990). Utvecklingsstörda i habiliteringen [Persons with mental retardation within the habilitation organization]. Stockholm: Riksförbundet FUB.
9.
BronfenbrennerU. (1977). Toward an experimental ecology of human development. American Psychologist, 32, 513–530.
10.
BronfenbrennerU. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
11.
BryantC. (1984). Working for families with dysfunctional children: An approach and structure for the first family therapy interview. Child and Adolescent Social Work, 1, 102–117.
12.
CadmanD.ShurvelB.DaviesP., & BradfieldS. (1984). Compliance in the society, with consultants' recommendations for developmentally handicapped children. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 26, 40–46.
13.
DunstC. J.JohanssonC.TrivetteC. M., & HambyD. (1991). Family-oriented early intervention policies and practices: Family-centered or not?Exceptional Children, 58, 115–126.
14.
DunstC. J.LeetH., & TrivetteC. M. (1988). Family resources, personal well-being, and early intervention. Journal of Special Education, 22, 108–116.
15.
DunstC. J., & TrivetteC. M. (1988). An enablement and empowerment perspective of case management. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 8(4), 87–102.
16.
GranlundM. (1991). Faktorer som påverkar genomförande av habiliteringsåtgärder [Factors affecting compliance with intervention]. Stockholm: Stiftelsen ALA.
17.
GranlundM.SteenssonA. L.SundinM., & OlssonC. (1992). Inservice training in collaborative problem solving and goal setting for special education teacher consultants working with profoundly impaired persons. The British Journal of Mental Subnormality, 38(2), 94–113.
18.
GranlundM.SteenssonA. L.SundinM., & PhilipssonE. (1992). Teamsamspel. Studier av upplevelse, process och utfall när habiliteringsexperter arbetar i team runt flerhandikappade barn [Team-collaboration. Studies of perceptions, process, and outcome when habilitation professionals work in a team with multiply handicapped children]. Stockholm: Stiftelsen ALA.
19.
MinkeK. M., & ScottM. M. (1993). The development of individualized family service plans: Roles for parents and staff. The Journal of Special Education, 27(1), 82–106.
20.
ParkerS. J., & ZuckermanB. S. (1990). Therapeutic aspects of the assessment process. In MeiselsS. J. & ShonkoffJ. P. (Eds.), Handbook of early childhood intervention (pp. 350–370). New York: Cambridge University Press.
21.
PriceE. (1988). Barnhabilitering—Teamarbete inom specialistvård och samverkan med primärvård och kommun. Delrapport 1 [Habilitation—Teamwork in specialist care and collaboration with primary care and community. Part 1]. Gäteborg: Bräcke Östergård och Psykologiska Institutionen, Göteborgs Universitet.
22.
Roll-PetterssonL., & GranlundM. (1994). Needs of Swedish families: Child characteristics and the role of the professionals. Stockholm: Stiftelsen ALA.
23.
SameroffA. J. (1987). The social context of development. In EisenbergN. (Ed.), Contemporary topics in developmental psychology (pp. 273–291). New York: Wiley.
24.
SameroffA. J., & FieseB. (1990). Transactional regulation in early intervention. In MeiselsS. J. & ShonkoffJ. P. (Eds.), Handbook of early childhood intervention (pp. 119–149). New York: Cambridge University Press.
25.
SOU 1990:19. (1990) Handikapp, välfärd, rättvisa [Handicap, welfare, justice]. Betänkande av 1989 års Handikapputredning.
26.
SummersJ.A.Dell'OliverC.TurnbullA.BensonH. A.SantelliE.CampbellM., & Siegel-CauseyE. (1990). Examining the individualized family service plan process: What are family and practitioner preferences?Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 10(1), 78–99.
