Handicapped children and handicapped families

Abstract

In summary, this article has emphasized the stressful effect of a handicapped child on the family. The effect of the family on the child's achievement is emphasized as many handicapped children would not become disabled or their disability lessened by appropriate parental behavior. Because of the importance of the family as a teaching environment, for the preschool child in particular, three home-oriented programs are out-lined as possible models that others might find useful. These programs attempt to capitalize on the mother's continued contact with the child and her ability to supply a one-to-one teaching arrangement during the time when the child is most susceptible to change. Such programs also increase mother-child communication and enhance her sense of having some control over the child's development, and her self-image as a competent parent, in addition to making the parents aware of community resources and fostering contact with appropriate services. These parent programs for handicapped children should not be seen as a substitute for other child-oriented preschool programs but as part of a co-ordinated approach to the education of the preschool handicapped child.