Transfer of information between parents and teachers of children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities at special educational centres

Background: Because of the complexity of the problems that affect children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD), communication between parents and teachers at special educational centres is indispensable. Logs are widely used in the Netherlands although only little is known about the effectiveness and efficiency of communication logs.

Method: Sentences written in communication logs were analysed with two categorization systems. Frequencies and percentages of topics in each category were computed for teachers and for parents.

Results: Most entries concern 'exchanging experiences' and 'requesting or giving information'; teachers write significantly more than parents.

Conclusions: The results show that communication logs are not very effective or efficient in relation to an adequate information transfer between parents and professionals to optimize the mutual support of children with PIMD. The article concludes with some recommendations for the practical use of these communication logs.