Family involvement in multidisciplinary team evaluation: professional and parent perspectives

For many children and families, a multidisciplinary team evaluation is their introduction to special education systems. Increasingly, federal guidelines mandating parent involvement in all aspects of service provision have meant that parents are being asked to participate as part of the evaluation team. If families and professionals are to serve as partners in the evaluation process, mutual respect and understanding of one another's perspectives will be crucial. This paper uses survey data from 39 parents and 81 professionals to examine the various expectations and perceptions brought by participants to the assessment process. Results indicated that there is substantial variability of perceptions among parents and professionals about the nature of child assessment and their respective roles in it. Implications for research and practice are discussed, along with techniques for involving families in the assessment process in more meaningful ways.