Online ISSN: 2325-7466
2006
Triannual
National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET)
United States

Articles

Parents are the Experts: Understanding Parent Knowledge and the Strategies They Use to Foster Collaboration with Special Education Teams

  • Colby Kervick, Ed. D. (Author) College of Education and Social Services at the University of Vermont image/svg+xml
    Dr. Colby T. Kervick is an assistant professor in the College of Education and Social Services at the University of Vermont. Her primary appointment is in the Special Education program. Dr. Kervick’s scholarship focuses on effective practices for collaborating with families of children with disabilities as well as models for dual certification field experiences. Dr. Kervick teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in foundations of special education, inclusive teaching practices, collaboration and behavior analysis. In addition, she supervises pre-service teacher candidates in field placements.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.337
Abstract
The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (1975), PL-94142, mandated parent participation as a required component of the provision of special education services to children with disabilities. It is widely recognized that a collaborative teaming approach is the most effective strategy to foster parent participation (Friend & Cook, 2010; A. Turnbull, Turnbull, Erwin, Soodak, & Shogren, 2011; R. Turnbull, Turnbull, & Wehmeyer, 2010). This article explores selected findings from a qualitative research study that investigated the perspective of parents of children with disabilities in order to understand: 1) how they acquired and shared knowledge about their child’s disability, 2) how they navigated and negotiated special education processes and 3) how they fostered collaboration with professionals. By exploring the issue of collaborative teaming through the lens of parents, the study offers insight about the expertise of parents, the dynamics of collaborative teaming and the multi-faceted nature of the "parental role."
Keywords
Access to Information, Case Studies, Children, Cooperative Planning, Disabilities, Educational Legislation
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There are 34 references in total.
How to Cite
Kervick, C. (2017). Parents are the Experts: Understanding Parent Knowledge and the Strategies They Use to Foster Collaboration with Special Education Teams. Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals, 12(2), 62-82. https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.337

Spring/Summer 2017

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  • Article Type Articles
  • Submitted April 27, 2017
  • Published June 15, 2017
  • Issue Spring/Summer 2017
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