To examine the characteristics and problems of training procedures for parents of handicapped children, the paper focuses on the rationale for parents as teachers, the effectiveness of different models of training procedures evident in early intervention programs, and the combination of factors (parents' motivation and needs, professional ability, and "preciousness" which affect the development of a symbiotic parent-professional partnership. Section I cites animal research on parent care, human infant-adult interaction studies, legal mandates, and economic considerations as supportive evidence for parents as intentional teachers of their handicapped children. Two approaches (center based and home based programs) are considered; and intervention programs falling under these two models are briefly described including the following: Culturally Disadvantaged Preschool Children Research Project; Milwaukee Project; Model Preschool Center--Down's Syndrome Program; Infant, Toddler, and Preschool Research and Intervention; Hester Adrian Research Centre; Parent Involvement Project; University of Tennessee Child Development Center; Early Intervention Learning Programs of Parent-Infant-Young Children (Torrens College); University of Macquarie Special Education Centre; Project PATH; Dawnstart; Frances Elliott Centre, Aukland; Mangere Early Intervention Project, Aukland; Portage Project; and New Zealand Visiting Therapy Service. Among conclusions drawn in the second section are that the behavioral approach provides parents with an effective, easily learned method for modifying a wide range of behaviors with their noncompliant or developmentally delayed children; and that the process of teaching parents involves instruction in child observation, ask analysis, training in operant techniques, and formative program evaluation. A final section discusses the parent-professional symbiotic partnership in terms of the parents' need for emotional support, the exchange of information, and the development of parental teaching strategies. A list of over 200 references concludes the document. (SB)