Support needs of Tennessee families with young special needs children

The primary purpose of the study was to identify specific support needs of Tennessee families, in order to guide program planning and implementation of a new comprehensive system of services known as the Tennessee Early Intervention System. A 146-item survey was used to evaluate the support needs of families of young children with disabilities in the state of Tennessee. Most of the surveys were administered in face-to-face interviews in the families' homes. The sample consisted of 128 respondents who were representative of families with young special needs children in the state. The respondents were primary caregivers whose special needs children ranged in age from birth through age 2 years. The findings are consistent with previous social support research and indicated that families of young children with special needs have strong needs for information, services for their child, knowledgeable professionals, social/emotional support, and financial assistance. The findings of this research further indicate an area of need that other researchers have conceptualized but few have directly studied: the need for service coordination.