Abstract
The purpose of this project was to create a professional development for school personal which would increase their understanding of chronic sorrow, the parental experience of raising a child with special needs and family-centered practice. To gather information for the training, research literature was reviewed which explored the educational partnerships between school staff and families, looking specifically at families who have children with special needs and the roles that these partnerships may play in creating stressors that trigger states of chronic sorrow. Findings from the research showed that educators’ current perceptions of the chronic sorrow process and understanding of the parental experience, as it relates to raising a child with special needs, were extremely limited (Bringham & Abernathy, 2007; Mandell & Murray, 2009). The research further suggested that a family-centered model of practice serves as the best model for parents, children and staff. However, educators’ understanding (including those of teachers and administrators) of this model of service is often limited or incorrect (Bringham & Abernathy, 2007; Dunst, Boyd, Trivette & Hamby, 2002; Espe-Sherwindt, 2008; Mandell & Murray, 2009). Clearly, the finding from the research strongly supported the need for a professional development which would increase educators awareness of both the parental experience and family-centered practice. The content of the two day professional development program includes discussion and information about the loss of the “dream/ideal child;” a look at the variety of family systems and the way in which one members response to a child’s disability influences the other members of the family; the chronic sorrow and coping process that is associated with raising a child with special needs; the idea of “acceptance” of a child with special needs is explored; the role the school system plays in the sorrow process; parental experiences in working with the schools; how schools and parents can form a positive partnership; the need for a family-centered approach to education; the current professional centered model that is found in many schools; the role the law plays in the parent advocacy role; and what educators can do to help alleviate some of the grief experienced by parents of children with special needs.