Impact of the Diagnostic Process on Parents.

Parents' views concerning the developmental assessment of their special children were evaluated, and a diagnostic model was developed based on the findings. Nineteen families whose 3- to 36-month-old children were undergoing first-time developmental evaluations were studied through questionnaire and interview responses. Twelve recurring themes mentioned by the parents fell in five areas: parents' desire for information, the relationship with the evaluator, parents' views of test validity, parents' need for hope or reassurance, and the desire to have both parents present. All families mentioned that they desired information from developmental evaluators. The second most frequently-mentioned theme concerned parents' desire for their children to do for the evaluator the things they did at home. If the evaluator did not get a good picture of the child, parents tended to doubt the test's validity. The third area of themes involved the relationship with the evaluator. The fourth frequently mentioned area covered the theme of parents' need for hope or reassurance about their children. The model for developmental assessments covered setting up a continuing relationship with parents, offering information to parents, and seeking information from parents. An appendix lists the following information: the kinds of information parents either received and found helpful or wanted to know, factors related to the child's performance, parents' views of test validity, and areas about which parents seek hope or reassurance concerning their children. (SEW)