Designed for parents with handicapped children, this manual provides current information on the development and growth stages of all children to serve as a basis or guideline for comparison. First, introductory comments focus on skills needed by all parents to help their children build feelings of self-worth and to grow. Next, an overview is provided of the stages of children's growth and development, examining physical, emotional, intellectual, social, and sexual development. A list of relevant reference materials is included. The next section looks at interactions within the families of handicapped children. This section offers discussions of parents' attitudes toward their handicapped child(ren), typical stages of parental reactions, and ways in which the family structure can be normalized. Next, the manual considers ways in which parents can help their children achieve and maintain an image of themselves which they can accept, focusing on the importance of adjusting expectations to suit the special needs of the child and of providing encouragement. Communication skills are addressed next, with focus on positive support, descriptive praise (i.e., praise referring to specific events), constructive criticism, supportive listening, and problem-solving skills, such as exploring alternatives, problem ownership and "I" messages. Finally, a section on increasing acceptable/decreasing unacceptable behaviors offers information on learning theories, positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, and teaching new behaviors. (LAL)