AN AFFILIATE OF THE LIFE SPAN INSTITUTE & THE DEPT. OF SPECIAL EDUCATION

Parent to Parent

RELATED RESOURCES

What It Is

Parent-to-Parent is a program wherey "veteran parents" (those who have several years' experience raising a child with a disability) provide information and emotional support to parents who are encountering, for the firsts time, the responsibilities and opportunities of raising a child with a disability. 

What We're Doing 

We have learned how Parent to Parent programs affect families and identified strategies that enhance the effectiveness of Parent to Parent programs.

 Our work includes: 

  • Reporting articles evaluating the impact of Parent to Parent Programs
  • Providing Information and how-to's about Parent to Parent Programs
  • Describing Stories and tips from people who have been part of Parent to Parent Programs.

Some of our resources are listed on this page. For a complete list, see our Resource Library and search under the topic Parent to Parent.  Read a tribute to Betsy Santelli, who was so critical to the development of Parent to Parent across the country.

 

A multi-site evaluation of Parent to Parent programs for parents of children with disabilities

This article examines the impact of Parent to Parent support. Among other findings, parents who participated in a Parent to Parent program had higher scores on measures of cognitive adaptation and coping than a comparison group of parents who did not participate.

Parent to Parent programs: Parent preferences for supports

This article examines preferences for support of parents who receive Parent to Parent services. Regardless of the age of the child or the severity of the child’s disability, parents reported on surveys that they preferred emotional support, information support, and other program support such as group meetings.

Parent to Parent Programs: A resource for parents and professionals

Parent to Parent programs have been providing information and emotional support to parents for over 20 years. This article examines the types of emotional and informational supports provided by these programs.

Parent to Parent programs: A unique form of mutual support

Based on mail surveys returned from 48 states, there are 450 active Parent to Parent programs with an estimated 25,000 parents participating. This article describes the scope and characteristics of these programs.

Statewide Parent to Parent Programs: Partners in early intervention

Based on interviews with 21 statewide Parent to Parent programs, key elements of statewide programs are described.