Chapter Six Summary
This paper is a summary of the reading of chapter six; Exceptionalities and Families. The chapter focused on the support to children with disabilities in the family setting (Hardman et al, 2011).
The chapter identified the potential reactions of families to the birth of a child with defect of disability. Such reactions are informed by the emotional stability of each family, religious values and beliefs, socioeconomic status, severity of the disability and the type of disability. The chapter identified that there is no linear movement through various stages of adjustment of parents in response to a birth of a child with disability and that the adjustment process is continuous and individual (Hardman et al, 2011).
The communication patterns within a family may change as one of the reactions to the birth of a child with disability. Other influences of such a birth are the possible alteration of the power structure of the family and modification of the roles and responsibilities of various members of the family. The chapter identified three aspects of raising a child with disability as a decrease in the amount of time available to a couple, heavy financial burdens and fatigue (Hardman et al, 2011).
The chapter identified the stages that parents experience in rearing a child with disability as the diagnostic period, the school period, the post school period, and the period when parents are no longer available to provide support to the child (Hardman et al, 2011).
Chapter six also identified the factors that influence the relationship that develops between an infant with a disability and her mother. The mother may be unable to give ordinary care to the infant and may even have difficulty in bonding with the child due to little physical and social attention. The relationship that develops between a mother and an infant with disability is mostly informed by the expectations that the mother has about the child. Fathers, on the other hand respond by internalizing their feelings more than the mothers. Fathers are known to respond differently to sons and daughters with disabilities and may resent the time spend by their wives in caring for children with disabilities. The response of siblings to a brother or sister with disability is also discussed, and acknowledges that they play a crucial role in fostering the intellectual, social and affective development of a child with disability though often, their reaction simply mirror the reactions of the parents towards a child with disability. The role of grandparents and the extended family in the development of a child with disability is also discussed (Hardman et al, 2011).
The chapter also deals with the behaviors that skilled and competent professional exhibit when interacting and dealing with families that have children with disabilities and identifies the process and importance of collaborative training for parents, families and professionals and the use of family support systems v.
As a teacher, the reading of this chapter is instrumental in the development of the processes of dealing with families that have a child with a disability. Such relationships between the teacher and the family are very crucial in the success of family support programs that schools may engage in and this chapter provides a critical insight on how the whole process can be made more integrative and successful (Hardman et al, 2011).
Reference
Hardman M. L., Drew C. J. & Egan M. W. (2011) Human Exceptionality: School, Community, and Family, 10th ed: Wadsworth, Cengage learning
