Disabilities and Development

Abstract

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.

Trajectories of Stress among Parents of Children with Disabilities: A Dyadic Analysis

“…A similar finding was reported by Hastings (2003) among parents of children with autism, where fathers' mental health affected mothers' stress levels, but the reverse direction of effects was not found. Mothers' satisfaction with their social support networks affected their stress, consistent with previous research (Hauser-Cram et al, 2012), but mothers' satisfaction with their social support networks also affected fathers' stress. It may be the case that fathers rely on mothers' sources of support to a greater extent than mothers rely on fathers' sources of support.…”

“…According to models of stress from a family systems framework (McCubbin & Patterson, 1983;Perry, 2004), the impact of child-related stressors on parent well-being is explained in part by resources and supports at the individual and family level. Social support is a resource that has received considerable attention in this population because it represents a potential point of intervention (Hauser-Cram, Cannarella, Tillinger, & Woodman, 2012). Social support is a multidimensional construct that includes physical and instrumental assistance, resource sharing, and emotional and psychological support (Dunst, Trivette, & Cross, 1986).…”

Intellectual Disability and Developmental Risk: Promoting Intervention to Improve Child and Family Well‐Being

“…Parents of children with ID generally report higher levels of stress than do parents of typically developing children (Hauser-Cram, Cannarella, Tillinger, & Woodman, 2013), and stress effects may be developmentally mediated. For parents of children with ID, average levels of stress are higher across all developmental periods from infancy through adolescence (Baker et al, 2003;Lopez, Clifford, Minnes, & Ouellette-Kuntz, 2008), and there is compelling evidence to suggest that parenting stress increases over time (Gerstein, Crnic, Blacher, & Baker, 2009;Hauser-Cram et al, 2001;Neece, Green, & Baker, 2012).…”

The role of coping strategies in predicting change in parenting efficacy and depressive symptoms among mothers of adolescents with developmental disabilities

“…The demands of raising any child require parents to continuously accommodate and cope with changing caregiving challenges. Parents of children with developmental disabilities (DD) face greater caregiving demands than parents of typically developing children, however (Hauser‐Cram et al . in press).…”