It is important to have this session co-facilitated by a family member and service provider so both viewpoints are represented. Personal examples will augment this session.

Before presenting this session, facilitators may want to review sessions in the Building Relationships with Families volume for material that relates to what is taught here.

• When Concerns Arise—Learning from Families’ Experiences provides a general discussion about supporting families when it is suspected that their child has a disability.
• Developing Family/Service Provider Relationships focuses on strategies for developing family/service provider relationships.
• Developing Family/Service Provider Leadership provides more specific strategies for communicating with families and supporting leadership opportunities.

The facilitation team may wish to consider presenting all three sessions in “Building Relationships with Families” in conjunction with this session in order to fully examine the complex issue of supporting families and staff during the initial identification period.

This session may evoke emotional reactions. It is important that the facilitator team creates a safe environment so that everyone can participate fully and learn from his or her experience.