A Visual Representation of the Grief Cycle for Use by Teachers with Families of Children with Disabilities

Abstract

Data from current studies of the grief process experienced by parents whose children have disabilities have been incorporated with the results of observations of 130 parents from two support groups to develop a visual representation of this process. The current model is useful in working with parents to facilitate their movement through stages of the grief process into more functional behavior. Behaviors from the traditional models of grief are organized into clusters for a conceptualization that will aid professionals in its use as a counseling tool with families of children with disabilities. Implications drawn from the grief cycle for use with parents and other family members are described including the full range of interactions in this model. These interactions make it unnecessary for the professional to view the parent or family members as dysfunctional.

Marital Adjustment in Parents of Children with Disabilities: A Historical Review and Meta-Analysis

“…The idea was then generalized to parental, usually maternal, reactions to a child who continued to live with the family (Olshansky, 1962). The grief premise still affects research and practice almost 40 years latter (Anderegg, Vergason, & Smith, 1992) despite long-standing criticism from parents and researchers (Allen & Affleck, 1985;Wikler, Wasow, & Hatfield, 1981). Under the influence of the tragedy metaphor, researchers excluded measurements of adaptation or perceived positive benefits as if these possibilities simply were not conceivable at the time.…”

Filial therapy with parents of children experiencing learning difficulties.

“…Parents often oscillate among the various explanations and treatment plans presented to them or reject recommendations and retreat into denial (Faerstein, 1981). Such ambiguity prolongs and complicates the parents' process of mourning over the loss of their hopes and dreams for a "perfect child" (Anderegg, Vergason, and Smith, 1992;Kaslow & Cooper, 1978).…”

Dealing with disability: challenges in Dutch health care of parents with a non-Western migration background and a child with a developmental disability

“…Even before a child is born, parents have expectations about their child and the behaviour they perceive as desirable for it [1]. When parents have a child with a disability, they must adapt to the discrepancy between the child they expected or dreamed of having and the child they have [2,3]. For many parents, having a child with a developmental disability may induce feelings of grief similar to the grief parents experience when losing a child [4][5][6].…”