School psychologists may provide support services to siblings of children with special needs as part of a family-focused approach to intervention. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a Cweek support group for siblings. Preand posttest assessments of six children who participated in the support group and five who did not indicated that the support group had a significant effect on the participants' perceptions of social support. Parental interview data also indicated some improvements in the group participants' behavior toward their siblings. No significant differences were found between the groups on measures of behavior problems, selfconcept, or knowledge about and attitudes toward children with handicaps. These results provide moderate support for the effectiveness of support services for siblings of children with special needs.
This study examined the effects on the family as reported by 48 mothers and 35 fathers of young children with special needs. The Family Support Scale (FSS), Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales (FACES III), and Comprehensive Evaluation of Family Functioning Scale (CEFF) were administered to assess (1) social support, (2) family satisfaction, and (3) impact, respectively. CEFF items cited as problems by 30% or more of mothers and fathers were identified. Statistically significant differences were found between mothers' and fathers' responses on the CEFF subscales of Time Demands, Coping, and Well-Being. No statistically significant differences were found on the CEFF problem scores or on the FSS or FACES III. These results have implications for the types of services programs may provide to different family members.
The implementation of P.L. 99-457 requires the identification of appropriate instruments for use in making program eligibility decisions for infants, toddlers, and preschool children. One test that has been recommended for this purpose is the Battelle Developmental Inventory (BDI; Newborg, Stock, Wnek, Guidubaldi, & Svinicki, 1984). This paper provides a review of the technical characteristics of the BDI that would support its use for this purpose. Information presented in the test manual on standardization, reliability, and validity of the BDI suggests that its use as a normative measure for purposes of determining program eligibility is not supported.
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