Today, there are more realistic guidelines governing professional practice. Beckman, Frank, and Newcomb (1996) promote an excellent set of precepts for professionals who wish to demonstrate respect, acceptance, and empathy for the family of a child with disabilities. Concepts not previously covered in parts I and II of this series of courses are summarized on the next 3 pages.

• Concepts (1)
  • "Join the family"
  • Get to know and respect the whole family rather than just the more active parent.
  • Acknowledge each family member’s contributions.
  • Stay neutral, avoiding alliances with one family member at the expense of others.
• Concepts (2)
  • Whenever possible, seek buy-in from all involved family members.
  • Use and facilitate negotiation as an effective problem-solving strategy.
  • Provide honest information that is tailored to reflect the family’s information processing style and capacity.
  • Help the family reframe problems, putting them in a fresh perspective with constructive action.
• Concepts (3)
  • Use selective attention and selective ignoring to focus attention on the positive aspects of the situation, rather than the negative.
  • Support the family’s preferred coping mechanisms as they deal with stresses within the constraints of their resources.
  • Recognize and monitor your influence on the family.