Abstract
Family-led pre-professional mentoring programs have been shown in past literature to have multiple positive outcomes, including better provider communication, increased sensitivity to the needs and contributions of family members in clinical settings, and better understanding of disability policy contexts among professionals. Yet there have been relatively few examples of exemplary programs that have developed successful models for family mentoring of pre-service professionals. Using qualitative evaluative data from one such program, a component of a Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program, this study shares the experiences of both families and trainees. Common themes shared between these two groups included having a sense of valued mutual relationships and the importance of learning through ordinary experience. Trainee-specific themes included the importance of positioning oneself as a learner, the power of just talking, and learning about family resilience and advocacy. Themes specific to family mentors included the feeling of genuine interest from the trainee, and the desire to impact future services. From these themes we share our impressions about lessons and promising practices for the future.
Plain Language Summary
We wrote about a program where family members of children with disabilities teach graduate students about their lives. The program lasts one year, and the students visit the family several times.
We asked students and families who participated in the program to share about their experience. They told us what they thought in interviews and survey questions. We used that information to find themes that described their experience.
Families and students thought the mentoring experience was great for building relationships where everyone felt respected. They also thought it was useful to learn by sharing ordinary experiences. Students liked that they could be learners instead of experts, just talking with the family, and learning about advocacy. Family members said they liked that students showed a real interest in the family and hoped that they would help make services for children with disabilities better.
We hope other programs will learn from our positive experience. It is hard to make a mentoring program like this, but we hope some graduate programs can try. This research is not perfect, but we hope it will be useful to others who want to think about making family-professional relationships better.
Creative Commons License
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Recommended Citation
Bogenschutz, Matthew; Lineberry, Sarah; Robinson Brock, Jackie; Grey, Flip; and Flinn, Kathryn
(2026)
"Evaluating the Impact of a LEND-based Family Mentorship Program for Pre-Service Professionals,"
Developmental Disabilities Network Journal: Vol. 5:
Iss.
2, Article 13.
DOI: 10.59620/2694-1104.1158
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ddnj/vol5/iss2/13
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