The purpose of this study was to investigate the perspectives of practitioners working with families of young children with disabilities regarding the implementation of family-centered intervention. Fundamental assumptions of family-centered services include family choice and professional responsiveness to the concerns and priorities of families. This changes the nature of traditional family-professional relationships and requires that families and professionals work together as equals in evaluation, decision making, and intervention. / The study examined how practitioners transform the philosophy and principles of family-centered services into practice with families of infants and toddlers with disabilities. The variability in practitioners' individual interpretations of family-centered services was investigated and the impact of practitioners' beliefs, personal development, and personal experiences were considered in relation to their practices with families. Findings indicated that implementation must remain flexible enough to accommodate individual interpretations of the philosophy and must be viewed as an evolving process, both personally and systemically. Implications for policy, for practitioner education, and for further research are provided. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-04, Section: A, page: 0930. / Major Professor: Mary Frances Hanline. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_77132 |
| Contributors | Galant, Kim R., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 182 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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