Parents of children with disabilities share concerns common to all parents, but they also have additional concerns that are unique to their children's disabilities. Professional school counselors can be more effective in their work with parents of students with disabilities, as well as with the students themselves, the students' teachers, and other students, if they understand parental perspectives. Areas of concern are described, and implications for school counselors are discussed.
References
1.
BlumR. W., ResnickM. D., NelsonR., & St. GermaineA. S. (1991). Family and peer issues among adolescents with spina bifida and cerebral palsy. Pediatrics, 88, 280–285.
2.
BristorM. W. (1991). The birth of a handicapped child—a wholistic model for grieving. In MarinelliR. P. & Dell OrtoA. E. (Eds.), The psychosocial impact of disability (3rd ed., pp. 59–69). New York: Springer.
3.
CiceroG., & BartonP. (2003). Parental involvement, outreach, and the emerging role of the professional school counselor. In ErfordB. T. (Ed.), Transforming the school counseling profession (pp. 191–207). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.
4.
ErfordB. T., HouseR., & MartinP. (2003). Transforming the school counseling profession. In ErfordB. T. (Ed.), Transforming the school counseling profession (pp. 1–20). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.
5.
EriksonE. (1963). Childhood and society (2nd ed.). New York: Norton.
6.
HewardW. L. (2003). Exceptional children: An introduction to special education (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.
7.
HoweN., & StraussW. (2000). Millennials rising: The next great generation.New York: Vintage.
8.
KleinS. D., & KempJ. D. (Eds.). (2004). Reflections from a different journey: What adults with disabilities wish all parents knew.New York: McGraw-Hill.
9.
KleinS. D., & SchiveK. (Eds.). (2001). You will dream new dreams: Inspiring personal stories by parents of children with disabilities.New York: Kensington.
10.
LockhartE. J. (2003). Students with disabilities. In ErfordB. T. (Ed.), Transforming the school counseling profession (pp. 357–409). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.
11.
MattinglyR. (2004). Listening is the key. In KleinS. D. & KempJ. D. (Eds.), Reflections from a different journey: What adults with disabilities wish all parents knew (pp. 175–178). New York: McGraw-Hill.
12.
MoonS. M. (2002a). Counseling needs and strategies. In NeihartM., ReisS. M., RobinsonN. M. (Eds.), The social and emotional development of gifted children: What do we know? (pp. 213–222). Waco, TX: National Association for Gifted Children/Prufrock Press.
13.
MoonS. M. (2002b). Gifted children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. In NeihartM., ReisS. M., RobinsonN. M. (Eds.), The social and emotional development of gifted children: What do we know? (pp. 193–201). Waco, TX: National Association for Gifted Children/Prufrock Press.
14.
National Education Association. (n.d.). Special education and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Retrieved January 11, 2006, from http://www.nea.org/specialed/index.html
15.
OlenchakF. R., & ReisS. M. (2002). Gifted students with learning disabilities. In NeihartM., ReisS. M., RobinsonN. M. (Eds.), The social and emotional development of gifted children: What do we know? (pp. 177–191). Waco, TX: National Association for Gifted Children/Prufrock Press.
16.
QuinnP. (1998). Understanding disability: A lifespan approach.Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
17.
SciarraD. T. (2004). School counseling: Foundations and professional issues.Belmont, CA: Thompson Brooks/Cole.
18.
SibleyK. A. (2004). Twice exceptional. In KleinS. D. & KempJ. D. (Eds.), Reflections from a different journey: What adults with disabilities wish all parents knew (pp. 156–160). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Willard-HoltC. (1998). Academic and personality characteristics of gifted students with cerebral palsy: A multiple case study. Exceptional Children, 65, 37–50.
22.
WittN. (2004). Groups offer valuable life lessons. In KleinS. D. & KempJ. D. (Eds.), Reflections from a different journey: What adults with disabilities wish all parents knew (pp. 184–188). New York: McGraw-Hill.
23.
YsseldykeJ. E., AlgozzineB., & ThurlowM. L. (2000). Critical issues in special education (3rd ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
