The Developing Family

RESOURCE REVIEW

The Developing Child:

Focusing on Nurturing and Learning

Magna Systems, Illinois

VHS 28 minutes

Available at DBCC

This resource discusses children with disabilities with a focus on each individual child and their personal character traits. It also takes into account the child's parents and how the disability affects them as they learn to cope with the situation.

Although a child has a disability, this resource reminds us that it does not make them less of a human. They still have individual likes and dislikes, and strengths and weaknesses within them. They, as normal children, have their own individual learning style, which must be taken into consideration when developing an individual education plan.

As with the child, each family has it's own dynamics and culture that will shape how they as a group will function-encompassing the disability. Some aspects of the families growth and development will remain very similar to a family that has no child with a disability-but some of the stages will differ immensely. The stages, which occur when the child is young, although different in expectations and goals being met, are similar. The stages that will be very different are the stages that occur as the child gets older. If the child were normal, they would become independent. With many disabled older children, training for them to become independent does not insure that the child will be able to live independently either totally or even partially. If the child can never live totally independently, then the post parenting stage will need modifying. Special plans will have to be made for the child as the parents age and a guardian will have to be appointed for the child after the parent's death. The dynamics within the family will pave the way for many of these challenges.

Professionals such as special education teachers, counselors, therapists, as well as family friends, doctors, lawyers and clergy are all resources in place for support and to help educate the family as they move through these various stages from early intervention to appointing a guardian in old age or for just offering a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on. If all of the