The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other national policies are designed to ensure the greatest possible inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of American life. But as a matter of national policy we still place the lion's share of responsibility for raising children with disabilities on their families. While this strategy largely works, sociologist Dennis Hogan maintains, the reality is that family financial security, the parents' relationship, and the needs of other children in the home all can be stretched to the limit. In Family Consequences of Children's Disabilities Hogan delves inside the experiences of these families and examines the financial and emotional costs of raising a child with a disability. The book examines the challenges families of children with disabilities encounter and how these challenges impact family life. The first comprehensive account of the families of children with disabilities, Family Consequences of Children's Disabilities employs data culled from seven national surveys and interviews with twenty-four mothers of children with disabilities, asking them questions about their family life, social supports, and how other children in the home were faring. Not surprisingly, Hogan finds that couples who are together when their child is born have a higher likelihood of divorcing than other parents do. The potential for financial insecurity contributes to this anxiety, especially as many parents must strike a careful balance between employment and caregiving. Mothers are less likely to have paid employment, and the financial burden on single parents can be devastating. One-third of children with disabilities live in single-parent households, and nearly 30 percent of families raising a child with a disability live in poverty. Because of the high levels of stress these families incur, support networks are crucial. Grandparents are often a source of support. Siblings can also assist with personal care and, consequently, tend to develop more helpful attitudes, be more inclusive of others, and be more tolerant. But these siblings are at risk for their own health problems: they are three times more likely to experience poor health than children in homes where there is no child with a disability. Yet this book also shows that raising a child with a disability includes unexpected rewards—the families tend to be closer, and they engage in more shared activities such as games, television, and meals. Family Consequences of Children's Disabilities offers access to a world many never see or prefer to ignore. The book provides vital information on effective treatment, rehabilitation, and enablement to medical professionals, educators, social workers, and lawmakers. This compelling book demonstrates that every mirror has two faces: raising a child with a disability can be difficult, but it can also offer expanded understanding. A Volume in the American Sociological Association's Rose Series in Sociology

This volume examines the barriers and borders that marginalize mothers and their efforts to be good mothers and how they mother as a form of resistance to these barriers and borders.

First published in 1987, this book focuses on childhood disability within the family. It examines the very nature of disability itself, as well as many of the fundamental elements of families. The book was written at a time when the meaning level of disability and its effect on family and society were rapidly changing and people with disabilities were starting to benefit from opportunities to compensate for whatever disabilities they may have had. Modern technology and an affluent society afforded advantages to support many of its disabled members. Contributors examine the contemporary context of disability, the cost of disability to families, ethical, philosophical and social issues underlying the treatment and rehabilitation of children with severe disabilities, and the role of professionals, amongst other topics. This book will be of interest to those involved in teaching, research and direct care with families who have children with disabilities. Although written in the late 80s, the work discusses subjects that are still vital today.

Explores family policies related to households of children with disabilities, providing an in-depth, evidence-based review of legal, programmatic issues.

Contemporary family life educators operate within a wide range of settings and with increasingly varied populations and families. In the third edition of Family Life Education, Darling and Cassidy expose readers to the diverse landscape of the field while laying a comprehensive, research-based, practical foundation for current and future family life educators. The authors, both CFLE-certified, consider the Certified Family Life Educator certification requirements of the National Council on Family Relations throughout the text. Their broad overview of the field includes a brief history and discussion of family life education as an established profession. The authors incorporate theory, research, and practice while also providing guidelines for planning, implementing, and evaluating family life education programs. Chapters on sexuality education, relationship and marriage education, and parenting education highlight some of the more prevalent and visible forms of family life education. Comments from international educators and interactive classroom exercises focus on global trends, building awareness and appreciation of diversity. Discussion questions and activities encourage readers to examine issues and apply what they have learned.

Drawing upon qualitative material from parents and professionals, including ethnography, narrative inquiry, interviews and focus groups, this book brings together feminist and critical disability studies theories.

The book presents a comprehensive and well-organized overview of the family-centered care approaches for child disability, and provides multi-professional contributions from the fields of psychiatry, psychology, and rehabilitation science. The volume is divided into three main sections, that highlights the theoretical basis, research evidence, and clinical implications of the family-centered approach to child care. Active engagement of parents in the therapeutic and rehabilitative journey of their children with disability is key to the success of early interventions and their long-term benefits. Research and clinical experiences in healthcare services around the world suggest that early supportive programs may promote children’s development at its best, with both clinical benefits and economic advantages for the healthcare system. This volume will appeal to a wide readership, from clinicians and researchers in child disability and rehabilitation, to students and professionals in the fields of psychiatry, psychology, and rehabilitation science.

This book offers a wide range of health and social care professionals, the knowledge and strategies to address key issues, enabling and empowering individuals with intellectual disabilities to enjoy healthier lives.

Family members provide the majority of care for individuals with disabilities in the United States. Recognition is growing that family caregiving deserves and may require societal support, and evidence-based practices have been established for reducing stress associated with caregiving. Despite the substantial research literature on family support that has developed, researchers, advocates and professionals have often worked in separate categorical domains such as family support for caregiving for the frail elderly, for individuals with mental illness, or for people with development disabilities. Family Support and Family Caregiving across Disabilities addresses this significant limitation through cross-categorical and lifespan analyses of family support and family caregiving from the perspectives of theory and conceptual frameworks, empirical research, and frameworks and recommendations for improvements in public policy. The book also examines children with disabilities, children with autism, adults with schizophrenia, and individuals with cancer across the life cycle. This book was published as a two-part special issue in the Journal of Family Social Work.