Conespondence Professor R J Simeonsson Frank Porter Graham Child Development Centre, Univeisity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill CB NO. 8180 705 Smith Level Road Chapel Hill Nonh Carolina 27599-8180 USA Family involvement in multidisciplinary team evaluation: professional and parent perspectives R J Simeonsson, R Edmondson*, TSmith*, S Carnahanf andJE Bucyf Frank Porter Graham Child Development Centre, 'Clinical Centre for the Study of Development and Learning, University of North Caroiina, tRoiiins Coiiege, Florida and ^University of Texas iVIedical Branch, Texas, USA Accepted for publication 19 January 1995 Child: care, health and development VOLUMB 21 NUMBER 3 1995 PAOES 1 9 9 - 2 1 5 O 1995 Blackwell Science Ltd Summary For many children and families, a multidisciplinary team evaiuation Is their introduction to speciai education systems. Increasingiy, federal guidelines man- dating parent invoivement in ail aspects of service provision have meant that parents are being asked to participate as part of the evaiuation team. If families and professionals are to serve as partners in the evaiuation process, mutual respect and understanding of one anothers' perspectives wiil be crucial. This paper uses survey data from 39 parents and 81 professionais to examine the various expecta- tions and perceptions brought by participants to the assessment process. Resuits indicated that there is substantial variability of perceptions among parents and professionals about the nature of child assessment and their respective roies in it. impiications for research and practice are discussed, along with techniques for involving famiiies in the assessment process in more meaningfui ways. Keywords: multidiscipiinary team evaiuation, speciai education, parent Invoivement, eariy intervention Introduction When parents first develop concerns about some aspect of their child's development or behaviour, a sequence of events is likely to be set into motion. 199