The IFSP and Parents with Special Needs/Mental Retardation

Families can present unique challenges to early interventionists seeking to become more comfortable with the development and implementation of the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). This article examines a sample of IFSPs developed with parents with special needs/mental retardation in a model early intervention program. A majority of family outcomes could be categorized as basic needs, family enrichment, and support/ counseling. All family outcomes involved some degree of application of knowledge or problem solving on the part of the parents. The results suggest that parents with special needs/mental retardation can participate fully in the IFSP process, when that process promotes relationship building, empowerment, interagency collaboration, and program implementation and evaluation.