Ordinary Families, Special Children, Second Edition A Systems Approach to Childhood Disability

by Seligman, Milton; Darling, Rosalyn Benjamin

• ISBN13: 9781572301559
• ISBN10: 1572301554
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1997-01-10
• Publisher: The Guilford Press

Summary

This popular clinical reference and text provides a multisystems perspective on childhood disability and its effects on family life. The volume examines how child, family, ecological, and sociocultural variables intertwine to shape the ways families respond to disability, and how professionals can promote coping, adaptation, and empowerment. Accessible and engaging, the book integrates theory and research with vignettes and firsthand reflections from family members. New to This Edition: *Incorporates advances in research and counseling approaches.*Updated resources.*Chapter on the challenges and opportunities of adulthood.*Expanded coverage of disability pride, family diversity, and the role of fathers.

Author Biography

Milton Seligman, Ph.D., is Professor and Chair, Counseling Psychology Program, University of Pittsburgh.

Rosalyn Benjamin Darling, Ph.D., is the Graduate Coordinator in the Sociology Department at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she also teaches courses in human services, at-risk children, and the sociology of disability. Prior to assuming her present position, she served for 15 years as the Executive Director of Beginnings, an agency serving young children with disabilities; in that capacity, she also served on various state-level policy advisory committees in the area of early intervention. Dr. Darling is the author of five books and numerous articles and chapters about children with disabilities and their families. She has also served on a number of national-level, disability-related advisory boards and continues to act as an advocate for children.

Table of Contents

Introduction and Conceptual Framework: Social Systems and Family Systems	1	(35)
Becoming the Parent of a Child with a Disability: Reactions to First Information	36	(21)
Childhood and Adolescence: Continuing Adaptation	57	(32)
Effects on the Family as a System	89	(29)
Effects on Siblings	118	(27)
Effects on Fathers and Grandparents	145	(22)
Cultural Reactions to Childhood Disability and Subcultural Variation	167	(31)
Professional-Family Interaction: Working toward Partnership	198	(28)
Therapeutic Approaches	226	(34)
Applying a Systems Approach to the Identification of Family Resources and Concerns: The Individualized Family Service Plan and Beyond	260	(19)
References	279	(32)
Index	311