PROFESSIONAL ETHICS AND PARENTS AS CONSUMERS - HOW WELL ARE WE DOING

Concerns of parents of children with emotional, behavioral, and cognit ive problems with respect to the behavior and attitudes they encounter from professionals coincide with concerns professionals have about th eir own behavior as set forth in professional codes of ethics. Thirty- four experts on professional ethics evaluated items on a behavioral qu estionnaire. Parents then wed the questionnaire to rate professionals who had worked with the men rat health problems of their children. Pro blem areas identified included informed consent, parent self-determina tion, and respect and compassion for parents.