Parental perceptions of help-giving practices and control appraisals in early intervention programs. Topics in Early Childhood

Sources of variations in parents ' assessment of help-giving practices and perceived control appraisals were investigated. Participants included 69 parents of children, birth to age 5, with disabilities or at risk for poor developmental outcomes. Results indicated that parent and family char-acteristics showed no relationship to either help-giving practices or per-ceptions of personal control and self-efficacy. In contrast, program characteristics and help-giving practices were highly associated with the degree to which parents indicated they had control over needed services, resources, and supports. Implications for improving helping relation-ships are discussed. The role of families in promoting the development and well-being of their children has become an increasing focus of attention as professionals contend with how to best serve young children with disabilities. With the current move toward recognition of the impor-tance of families, professionals are challenged to become more fam-ily centered and to incorporate family systems theory into their service delivery practices. Although family-centered policies and practices are desirable, relatively little research exists about the fac-tors that promote and impede their adoption. The study described in this article specifically examined (a) factors associated with parents' assessment of help-giving practices of early intervention program personnel and (b) the extent to which child, parent, and family back-ground characteristics, program characteristics, and help-giving prac