Professionals are in the position to include parents and help them feel less isolated. A wise pediatrician needs to be sensitive to the entire family’s experience so that he or she can refer the family to the appropriate resources. Sometimes, it is more valuable for a physical therapist to sit and listen to a parent talk than to work exclusively with the child. All too often, professionals stay within their own specialty and feel little responsibility to do more.
When pediatricians, therapists, and teachers walk hand-in-hand with parents and are thoughtful of the entire family’s needs, there will be a sense of true support and the chances of successful treatment for the child will be enhanced. When families are from varying cultures, different from the professional working with them, extra effort is required to understand parental attitudes and cultural differences so communication can be effective and collaboration successful. Collaboration is the key. It is in true collaboration that parents and professionals can develop wonderful goals for the child with a disability. This takes real commitment for the professional to suspend his or her agenda until the parent is fully involved in setting goals that are realistic for both the parents and the child.
Sometimes professionals do not feel that there is enough time to concentrate on families needs. They forget that, by including families in the process, they are empowering the family to become experts in their own realm and within the larger system. In the long run, when parents are fully involved, the care will be more productive.
Parents can act as their own advocates and support others in their efforts to grow and develop. Professionals cannot afford to see parents as illequipped or dysfunctional in parenting their children with disabilities. Instead they must actively enter a partnership with parents. It is the professional that provides a service. It is the parent who makes it work.
