Nurturing a Self-Help Group: One Professional’s Experience

Abstract

In April 1987, the parent of a child who was both learning disabled and intellectually gifted and talented and a professional educator (the author) founded Parents of Gifted and Learning-Disabled Students of Northern Virginia, a self-help group for people who were dealing with the challenges posed by such children. The article begins with a background explaining the need for such a group followed by a history of the group and a description of how it functioned. It then details ways in which the author and the group interacted over the course of 5 years. A major component of this interaction was the members’ partnering in a research study with the author—a process now known as participatory action research (PAR)—and the outcomes of that partnership.