Involved Parents: Characteristics and Resources of Fathers and Mothers of Young Handicapped Children

Abstract

Who are the families who choose to participate in an early intervention program tailored to meet the needs of traditionally underserved members of the young handicapped child's family? In an HCEEP project for fathers and their infants and toddlers, both parents completed a set of measures that provided demographic information, as well as data in the following areas: paternal information needs; family responsibilities; parent levels of depression; personal time; organized group affiliation; and satisfaction with their present situations. Fathers who participated in the pilot program for the project were compared to newly enrolled fathers along these variables, and husbands' and wives' responses were compared. Fathers who had been in the pilot program were less depressed, had more positive feelings about their interactions with their children, and had greater access to social supports than the newly enrolled fathers. Predisposing variables associated with families' program participation are discussed.

Continual counseling intervention: Lifetime support for the family with a handicapped member

“…No one professional may claim exclusive rights to counseling parents of disabled children (Ross, 1964). Support and counseling provided by the team, beginning as soon as possible, allows families to mobilize their strengths for combatting threats (Goodman, 1964;Vadasy et al, 1984). Individual counseling, using a psychotherapeutic approach, may provide emotional security, enable parents to define their own problems, and prevent isolation, immobilization, and withdrawal (Goodman, 1964;Norton, 1976).…”

“…This necessitates the professionals' awareness of the parents' state when delivering the message (Vadasy et al, 1984). Not only should information be given clearly and repeatedly, but it should emphasize normal attributes (Drotar et al, 1975).…”

“…Parents of exceptional children, however, are not always overwhelmed by the stresses of raising a handicapped child (Morse et al, 1980;Vadasy et al, 1984). In fact, the majority of poor, rural, predominantly black families interviewed by Dunlap (1979) did not perceive the handicapped member as having significant negative effects on family life, though some reorganization was necessary.…”

“…Parental reactions include shock, denial, sadness, anger, anxiety (Drotar et al, 1975), unanticipated crisis, heightened responsibility for the mother (Jordan, 1962), inability to face the attitudes of the outside world, awareness of the restrictive and disruptive nature of the incident, increased stress, desperate pleas for help (Dunlap, 1979;Schonell & Watts, 1956;Vadasy et al, 1984), disappointment, threat to self-esteem, embarrassment, and hurt pride (Waisbren, 1980). Adjustment levels include acknowledging and learning how to handle anger, dealing with anxieties aroused by the impact of the child's handicap on usual adaptive patterns, ensuring adjustments will positively affect the entire family (Cohen, 1962), withdrawal, avoidance, denial (Baum, 1962), and emotional disorganization (Blacher, 1984).…”

“…The birth of a handicapped infant has longitudinal effects on individual family members, as each experiences unique reactions to the infant's diagnosis (Vadasy et al, 1984). The family unit is introduced to additional stresses which will dramatically change their lives, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors (Featherstone, 1980;Gabel et al, 1983;Hewett, 1970;Ross, 1964;Yura, 1979).…”