Nurturing a Self-Help Group

In April 1987, the parent of a child who was both learning disabledand intellectually gifted and talented and a professional educator (the author) foundedParents of Gifted and Learning-Disabled Students of Northern Virginia, a self-help groupfor people who were dealing with the challenges posed by such children. The articlebegins with a background explaining the need for such a group followed by a history ofthe group and a description of how it functioned. It then details ways in which theauthor and the group interacted over the course of 5 years. A major component of thisinteraction was the members’ partnering in a research study with the author—a processnow known as participatory action research (PAR)—and the outcomes of thatpartnership