Ordinary Families, Special Children

Milton Seligman, Ph.D., is Professor and Chair, Counseling Psychology Program, University of Pittsburgh. Rosalyn Benjamin Darling, Ph.D., is the Graduate Coordinator in the Sociology Department at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she also teaches courses in human services, at-risk children, and the sociology of disability. Prior to assuming her present position, she served for 15 years as the Executive Director of Beginnings, an agency serving young children with disabilities; in that capacity, she also served on various state-level policy advisory committees in the area of early intervention. Dr. Darling is the author of five books and numerous articles and chapters about children with disabilities and their families. She has also served on a number of national-level, disability-related advisory boards and continues to act as an advocate for children.

Introduction and Conceptual Framework: Social Systems and Family Systems. Becoming the Parent of a Child with a Disability: Reactions to First Information. Childhood and Adolescence: Continuing Adaptation. Effects on the Family as a System. Effects on Siblings. Effects on Fathers and Grandparents. Cultural Reactions to Childhood Disability and Subcultural Variation. Professional-Family Interaction: Working Toward Partnership. Therapeutic Approaches. Applying a Systems Approach to the Identification of Family Strengths and Needs: The Individualized Family Service Plan and Beyond.