PARENT INVOLVEMENT IN AN EARLY-CHILDHOOD SPECIAL-EDUCATION PROGRAM - A DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF PARENT DEMOGRAPHICS AND LEVEL OF INVOLVEMENT

The present study was conducted to evaluate the level of parent involv ement in an early childhood special education program in a large midwe stern urban school district. Areas surveyed included parents' current input, participation, and desired level of participation in the initia l eligibility evaluation, the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) meeting, a nd the initial Individual Education Plan (IEP). Additional areas asses sed included parent-teacher contact, overall satisfaction with the ear ly childhood program, and services the parent might be interested in r eceiving. Generally, parents were satisfied with their involvement and input in their child's educational program. Differences between paren ts' level of income, education, race, gender, and marital status and t heir subsequent level of involvement in their child's education were n oted.