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Children with developmental disabilities often report having few friends. Researchers have tended to focus on social skill deficits, neglecting other potent predictors of children's feelings of loneliness. In a sample of 82 children with developmental disabilities, we examined characteristics of the child at age 3 (i.e., the conclusion of early intervention services) as well as family income and emotional climate as predictors of children's reported feelings of loneliness at school during middle childhood (age 10). Children with lower levels of externalizing behavior problems at age 3 and from families with a more positive family climate, as indicated by the Family Environment Scale, reported less loneliness at age 10. Implications for children, families, and early intervention services are discussed.

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This chapter focuses on theoretical and empirical approaches to the development of young children with biologically based developmental disabilities. The chapter begins with a discussion of the difficulties in constructing definitions of disabilities and developing appropriate diagnostic criteria for young children. It includes a discussion of the history of attitudes about children with disabilities from the perspective of developmental psychology. Next, current theoretical perspectives and empirical studies on children with developmental disabilities and their families are examined. Both longitudinal studies and contextually based cross‐sectional studies of children with developmental disabilities are discussed. Research on the family's influences on the development of children with disabilities has largely focused on the importance of growth‐promoting maternal interaction. Research on the way in which the child with a disability affects families, including fathers and siblings, has tended to focus on deleterious outcomes, although current work recognizes the importance of the strength of the family system. Despite a growing recognition that culture is the frame in which children develop, few have investigated how cultural conceptions of development relate to parenting a child with a disability. The chapter concludes with reflections on potential directions for future work and implications for policies and programs.

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