A national sample of 367 parents (267 mothers and 100 fathers) of children with special needs, ages birth to 8 years, were surveyed regarding their informational needs and preferred sources for parenting information. The major need that emerged was for information on how to promote the development of their children with special needs. Parents also expressed a need for information on dealing with the emotional and time demands of parenting, identifying community resources, planning for their child's future, and understanding their child's legal rights. Preferred sources for information varied according to topic and the educational level of the parent. Responses are reported for mothers by level of education and for fathers.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Bailey, D.B., Jr., Blasco, P.M., & Simeonsson, R.J. (1992). Needs expressed by mothers and fathers of young children with handicaps. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 97, 1–10.
2.
Bailey, D.B., & Simeonsson, R.J. (1988). Assessing needs of families with handicapped infants. The Journal of Special Education, 22(1), 117–127.
3.
Battle, C.V. (1974). Disruptions in the socialization of a young severely handicapped child. Rehabilitation Literature, 35, 130–140.
4.
Beckman, P.J. (1983). Influence of selected child characteristics on stress in families of handicapped infants. American Journal of Mental Deficiency, 88, 150–156.
5.
Bee, H.L., Barnard, K.E., Eyres, S.J., Gray, C.A., Hammond, M.A., Spietz, A.L., Snyder, C., & Clark, B. (1982). Prediction of IQ and language skill from perinatal status, child performance, family characteristics, and mother-infant interaction. Child Development, 53, 1134–1156.
6.
Bond, L.A. (1982). From prevention to promotion: Optimizing infant development. In L.A. Bond & J.M. Joffe (Eds.) Facilitating infant and early childhood development (pp. 5–39). Hanover and London: University Press of New England.
7.
Bradshaw, J., & Lawton, D. (1978). Tracing the causes of stress in families with handicapped children. British Journal of Social Work, 8, 181–192.
8.
Chetwynd, J. (1985). Factors contributing to stress on mothers caring for an intellectually handicapped child. British Journal of Social Work, 15, 295–304.
9.
Crnic, K.A., Greenberg, M. T., Ragozin, A.S., Robinson, N.M., & Basham, R.B. (1983). Effects of stress and social support on mothers and premature and full-term infants. Child Development, 54, 209–217.
10.
Cutrona, C.E., & Troutman, B.R. (1986). Social support, infant temperament, and parenting self-efficacy: A mediational model of post partum depression. Child Development, 54, 209–217.
11.
Dervin, B. (1976). The development of strategies for dealing with the information needs of urban residents: Phase I; Citizen study. (Final report). Washington, DC: U. S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 125 650)
12.
Dunst, C.J., & Trivette, C.M. (1988). Determinants of parent and child-interactive behavior. In K. Marfo (Ed.), Parent-child interaction and developmental disabilities (pp. 31–31). New York: Prager.
13.
Dunst, C.J., Trivette, C.M., & Cross, A.H. (1986). Mediating influences of social support: Personal, family and child outcomes. American Journal of Mental Deficiency, 90, 403–417.
14.
Dunst, C.J., Trivette, C.M., & Deal, A.G. (1988). Enabling and empowering families: Principles and guidelines for practice. Cambridge, MA: Brookline Books.
15.
Fewell, R. (1986). The measurement of family functioning. In L. Bickman & D.L. Weatherford (Eds.), Evaluating early intervention programs for severely handicapped children and their families (pp. 263–307). Austin, TX: PRO-ED.
16.
Gallagher, J.J., Scharfman, W., & Bristol, M. (1984). The division of responsibilities in families with preschool handicapped and nonhandicapped children. Journal of the Division for Early Childhood, 8, 3–11.
17.
Gowen, J.W., Christy, D.S., & Sparling, J. (1990). Informational needs of parents of young children with special needs (Report No. MS 89084-R). Washington, DC: Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 333 642)
18.
Gowen, J.W., Johnson-Martin, N., Goldman, B.D., & Applebaum, M. (1989). Feelings of depression and parenting competence of mothers of handicapped and nonhandicapped infants: A longitudinal study. American Journal of Mental Retardation, 94, 259–271.
19.
Gowen, J.W., Johnson-Martin, N., Goodman, B.D., & Hussey, B. (1992). Object play and exploration in children with and without disabilities: A longitudinal study. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 97, 21–38.
20.
Lamb, M.E. (1981). The development of infantfather relationships. In M.E. Lamb (Ed.), The role of the father in child development (pp. 458–488). New York: Wiley.
21.
Lamb, M.E., & Oppenheim, D. (1989). Fatherhood and father-child relationships: Five years of research. In S.H. Cath, A. Gurwitt, & L. Gunsberg (Eds.), Fathers and their families (pp. 11–26). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
22.
Levitt, M.J., Weber, R.A., & Clark, M.C. (1986). Social network relationships as sources of maternal support and well-being. Developmental Psychology, 22, 310–316.
23.
McKeith, R. (1973). The feelings and behaviors of parents of handicapped children. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 15, 524–527.
24.
Moroney, R.M. (1981). Public social policy: Impact on families with handicapped children. In J. Paul (Ed.), Understanding and working with parents of children with special needs (pp. 180–204). New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
25.
Petersen, P. (1984). Effects of moderator variables in reducing stress outcome in mothers of children with handicaps. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 28, 337–344.
26.
Peterson, N.L. (1987). Early intervention for handicapped and at-risk children. Denver, CO: Love Publishers.
27.
Rogers, S.J., & Puchalski, C.B. (1988). Development of object permanence in visually impaired infants. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 82(4), 137–142.
28.
Salisbury, C.L. (1986). Parenthood and the need for respite. In C.L. Salisbury & J. Intagliata (Eds.), Respite care: Support for persons with developmental disabilities and their families (pp. 3–28). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.
29.
Siegel, S. (1956). Nonparametric statistics. New York: McGraw-Hill.
30.
Siegel, S., & Castellan, N.J., Jr. (1988). Nonparametric statistics for the behavioral sciences. New York: McGraw-Hill.
31.
Skinner, E.A. (1985). Determinants of mother sensitive and contingent-responsive behavior: The role of childrearing beliefs and socioeconomic status. In I.E. Sigel (Ed.), Parental belief systems (pp. 51–82). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
32.
Sparling, J., & Lowman, B. (1983). Parent information needs as revealed through interests, problems, attitudes, and preferences. In R. Haskins (Ed.), Parent education and public policy (pp. 304–323). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
33.
Sparling, J., Lowman B., Lewis, I., & Bartel, J. (1979). What mothers say about their information needs (Final Report—Volume I—DHEW, Grant #90-CA-1263). Washington, DC: Administration for Children, Youth and Families.
34.
Travis, G. (1976). Chronic illness: Its impact on child and family. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
35.
Turnbull, H.R., Turnbull, A.P., Bronicki, G.J., Summer, J.A., & Roeder-Gordon, C. (1989). Disability and the family: A guide to decisions for adulthood. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.
36.
Wachs, T.D., & Sheehan, R. (1988). Development patterns in disabled infants and preschoolers. In T.D. Wachs & R. Sheehan (Eds.), Assessment of young developmentally disabled children (pp. 3–24). New York: Plenum Press.
37.
Warner, E.S., Murray, A.D., & Palmour, B.E. (1973). Information needs of urban residents (Final Report). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 088 464)
38.
Yogman, M.W. (1982). Observations on the father-infant relationship. In S.H. Cath, A. Burwitt, & J.M. Ross (Eds.), Father and child (pp. 101–122). Boston: Little, Brown.
