Parents of deaf-blind children frequently have common needs and experience definite critical times of stress as their child matures. Parents need emotional understanding and support, information and facts, a greater degree of active participation in habilitation planning, a self image of themselves as competent and participating community members, an understanding of their role in the habilitation process, and an understanding of present and future expectations for the handicapped child. The following critical times are likely to increase parental stress: at birth or upon suspicion of handicaps, at time of diagnosis and treatment, as child nears age for school placement, as child nears puberty, as child nears age for vocational planning, and as parents age and child may outlive them. (DB)