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Childhood Disability and the Family

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Handbook of Psychosocial Characteristics of Exceptional Children

Part of the book series: Springer Series on Human Exceptionality ((SSHE))

Abstract

The way that families adjust to a disabled family member has been studied since the late 1950s, with most research occurring from the mid-1970s to the present. In the early literature, family members were thought to be devastated by childhood disability. Children were often referred to as “defective,” a term implying severe and immutable deficiencies that caused profound distress to the family system. Based on research and on reports from family members, a contemporary, more accurate view is that children with disabilities and their families basically function well.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology in Education, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylania, 15260, USA

    Milton Seligman

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  1. Milton Seligman
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education, University of Saskatchewan, S7N 0X1, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

    Vicki L. Schwean  & Donald H. Saklofske  & 

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Seligman, M. (1999). Childhood Disability and the Family. In: Schwean, V.L., Saklofske, D.H. (eds) Handbook of Psychosocial Characteristics of Exceptional Children. Springer Series on Human Exceptionality. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-5375-2_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-5375-2_5

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