Denise J. Poston

Relationship of Perceived Adequacy of Services, Family–Professional Partnerships, and Family Quality of Life in Early Childhood Service Programmes

This study applied three family measures (ratings of service adequacy or implementation, satisfaction with the family–professional partnership, and family quality of life) to a sample of families of young children in one Midwestern U.S. state. The results suggest that: (a) families more often believe they are receiving adequate amounts of services for their child, but tend to believe they are not receiving adequate amounts of services for their family; (b) respondents tend to be satisfied with their partnerships with their primary service provider, with lower satisfaction ratings for the providers ability to meet their childs individual needs and to provide information about services; and (c) respondents tended to be more satisfied with their familys material well‐being and less so with their familys emotional well‐being. Finally, we found that service adequacy ratings were a significant predictor of family quality of life, and that partnerships partially mediated this effect. We discuss the research, service, and policy implications of these findings.

Perspectives of Five Stakeholder Groups: Challenging Behavior of Individuals with Mental Retardation and/or Autism

Data from five focus groups, each representing a different stakeholder constituency interested in the challenging behavior of individuals with mental retardation and/or autism, were reported. Emergent themes across administrators and policy makers, families, friends, individuals with disabilities, and teachers and practitioners included current barriers faced; practical, positive solutions found; and preferences for helpful informational products concerning challenging behavior. Key recommendations focus on the implications of this information for research, training, and dissemination activities.

Promoting self-determination and self-directed employment planning for young women with disabilities.

Self-determination, choice, and preference have become important issues in vocational rehabilitation and have long been staples of social work practice. This article provides an overview of a model, the self-determined career development model, which is designed to enable people with disabilities to self-direct planning that leads to employment. Specifically, this model is applied to young women with intellectual and developmental disabilities to obtain nontraditional employment through self-regulated, customized employment planning. This article examines issues pertaining to self-determination in the context of vocational guidance and planning, introduces the model and its use in secondary education and rehabilitation, and discusses the role of social workers in supporting consumer control and self-direction.