The parent's guide provides information on a home based communication program designed to develop basic communication skills in severely, multiply handicapped children. The guide consists of three sections: an introduction, information on communication training in the home, and a list of resources. Following the brief introduction is a discussion of advantages of parent involvement in the areas of assessment, programing, classroom assistance, and advocacy. Initial reactions of parents to a handicapped child are mentioned, and the availability of resources for the family is considered. Also covered in the first section are implementation of the family involvement program, parent groups, and total family involvement. The communication training section is designed to help parents evaluate their child's current communication system, to make suggestions which will help in selecting appropriate goals for improving the child's communication skills, and to suggest ways of arranging the child's daily environment which may facilitate communication development. Various components of the Comprehensive Communication Curriculum are covered including the caregiver interview; identifying and developing wants and needs; "more" requests; requesting through choice; requesting through symbols (speech, manual sign, communication boards); training the child to initiate interactions; and environmental manipulation to facilitate spontaneous use. Discussed are some activities for developing communication skills at home. The final section, the resource guide, is divided into two sections--first, an alphabetical list, and second, a cross index which categorizes the list into 40 topic areas. Entries include name of the organization/association, address, and telephone number. (SB)