PARENT TO PARENT PROGRAMS - A UNIQUE FORM OF MUTUAL SUPPORT

Parents of young children with special needs are thrust into the world of disability-a life experience with many strong emotional responses and challenges. Parent to Parent programs provide emotional and inform ational support to parents of children with special needs by matching a trained veteran parent in a one-to-one relationship with a parent ne wly referred to the program. This article reports the results of a nat ional survey of veteran and referred parents participating in Parent t o Parent programs and discusses how Parent to Parent support is an imp ortant part of comprehensive family-centered services for parents and providers.