Family-guided practices are defined as the process by which the family determine their own priorities and preferences for involvement (Cripe, 1994). Family service coordinators and early childhood special education personnel provide options to families, design flexible formats for transition services and work together with the family to determine what is best for them.

In order to give families the best information possible about what options are available in their community, service providers in both early intervention and preschool services must make an effort to collaborate with community programs to ensure that all families have access to the programs that would be appropriate for their children. Sometimes this presents a challenge for providers due to the amount of time it takes to locate appropriate placements. However, collaboration and open communication between families, early intervention personnel and preschool personnel makes this a shared experience where everyone on the team can become better informed.

Families have diverse needs for special services, child care, and preschool. Some families are well-informed about what is available in their community while others know very little about what their community has to offer. It is up to individual providers to present the most comprehensive set of options possible to families. This creates challenges for some providers because they feel it is important for families to have high-intensity therapy and education for their children. Early childhood special education teachers may feel that their self-contained program is the best program in the community and families need these high-intensity services. However, assuming familiesþ needs for their are the same as the needs that service providers identify for the child does not respect or value the families' abilities to make a sound judgment about appropriate services. Informing families about all the options available to them values their abilities to make decisions and make the entire transition family guided.

 

Related Link:

• "Form 3: Forms to Ensure Family's Involvement" Index Page