Special needs of low-income mothers of developmentally delayed children.

The needs that were created or intensified for 36 low-income mothers in the first years after learning that they were the parents of a developmentally delayed child were investigated, and intervention strategies to help these mothers get their special needs met were identified. Results suggest that the overwhelming need of these mothers was to learn how to cope with the many unknowns about their child's future and that an effective intervention strategy might be the establishment of groups run by and for parents in conjunction with early intervention programs for the children.