Betsy Santelli

A Multi-site Evaluation of Parent to Parent Programs for Parents of Children With Disabilities

This paper describes 2 approaches used to evaluate Parent to Parent mentoring programs in 5 states. Parents were assigned to either a treatment group or a waiting list comparison group. The treatment group participated in Parent to Parent for 2 months. Groups were compared on measures of coping, attitude, and progress on addressing problems. Analyses showed statistically significant positive gains for the parents in the treatment group. Changes on a measure of empowerment were not statistically significant. A qualitative study based on consumer satisfaction interviews with parents provided insight into what makes the Parent to Parent program work. The findings support the value of Parent to Parent self-help programs as one component of a family support system.

Participatory Action Research: Reflections on Critical Incidents in a PAR Project

This article describes a participatory action research (PAR) project designed to evaluate Parent to Parent programs in five states in the United States. The PAR team consisted of two groups: 1) parent leaders of programs that create one-to-one matches between help-seeking parents of children with disabilities and volunteer supporting parents and 2) university-based researchers. Based on a narrative record of the project, critical incidents are presented along with reflections of factors that contributed to the success of the project overall. The project successfully gathered evaluative data about Parent to Parent self-help programs. Results of both the PAR project and the study it created are presented. A process of developing a shared understanding of the programs and of the purposes for evaluating them, along with an on-going willingness of parents and researchers to compromise, led to creative solutions to difficulties that arose in meeting the needs of researchers and parents. As a result of the project, published data from a controlled experimental study are now available showing that Parent to Parent assisted parents in developing more positive views of their circumstances and a stronger sense of efficacy in coping with family and child challenges. Interviews indicated some of the reasons why Parent to Parent succeeds and fails. The study also revealed operational problems in the programs that were previously unrecognized. As a result of the project, the participating programs have made several changes to improve their services and they have begun to use the research data to support their legitimacy to funders and to expand their services to new populations.

Parent-to-Parent Programs: A Resource for Parents and Professionals

Parent to Parent programs offer parents of children who have special needs the opportunity to receive emotional and informational support from another parent who is experiencing a similar set of circumstances. By matching a trained veteran parent of a child with a disability in a 1-to-1 relationship with a parent who is newly referred to the program, Parent to Parent programs facilitate connections filled with information and perspectives that are unique to parents. This article introduces Parent to Parent support by (a) featuring the matched experience of two parents, (b) describing the results of a national survey of local Parent to Parent programs, (c) presenting guidelines for starting a Parent to Parent program, and (d) suggesting resources that are available nationally to those interested in Parent to Parent support.

Parent to Parent Programs: A Unique Form of Mutual Support

Parents of young children with special needs are thrust into the world of disability—a life experience with many strong emotional responses and challenges. Parent to Parent programs provide emotional and informational support to parents of children with special needs by matching a trained veteran parent in a one-to-one relationship with a parent newly referred to the program. This article reports the results of a national survey of veteran and referred parents participating in Parent to Parent programs and discusses how Parent to Parent support is an important part of comprehensive family-centered services for parents and providers.

Operation Positive Change PBS in an Urban Context

Children who have problem behavior need not only the support of school personnel but also the support of their parents to be successful in both educational and community/home settings. However, too often research-based best practices in positive behavior support (PBS) do not reach families, particularly culturally and linguistically diverse families living in underserved urban communities. This article describes Operation Positive Change—a training curriculum and train-the-trainer model developed by Pyramid Parent Training Community Parent Resource Center that brings PBS best practices identified by leading PBS researchers to parents in New Orleans, Louisiana. After participating in Operation Positive Change work-shops, parents who are dealing with the problem behavior of their children, as well as a myriad of other challenges related to poverty, race, and language barriers, are gathering data about their childs strengths and needs and likes and dislikes, developing a functional assessment for their child, and participating as full partners in the development of a PBS plan

Parent to Parent Programs: Parent Preferences for Supports

Parent to Parent programs facilitate connections between parents who have young children with special needs by carefully matching an experienced parent in a one-to-one relationship with a parent newly referred to the program. Using national survey results, this article examines the preferences referred parents have for various kinds of emotional and informational supports provided through Parent to Parent programs and the impact of the childs age and severity of disability on parental preferences. Parents preferred a wide range of supports, with the childs age and severity of disability contributing to differences in their preferences. Supports to families must, therefore, be individualized and responsive to child and family characteristics

Statewide Parent-to-Parent Programs: Partners in Early Intervention.

Parents of infants and young children with disabilities or special health care needs are thrust, often without warning, into an unfamiliar and complex world that requires support for and information about a whole host of medical, educational, legal, financial, social, and emotional realities. Statew