Synopses & Reviews
Review
"Milton Seligman and Rosalyn Darling have done a wonderful job describing the impact a child's disability can have on a family. They deserve special praise for their attention to the frequently overlooked concerns of fathers, siblings, and grandparents. The user-friendly discussion of family systems and the many insightful quotes from family members will make this book valuable to family members and service providers alike." --Donald J. Meyer, MEd, Director, Sibling Support Project, Children's Hospital and Medical Center, Seattle, Washington; editor of
Uncommon Fathers: Reflections on Raising a Child with Special Needs. "The second edition of Ordinary Families, Special Children continues in the fine tradition of the first. The book, firmly anchored in empirical research, brings the laboratory data alive with commentary by mothers, fathers, and others who love a child with a disability. Seligman and Darling offer a critical look at the literature, blended with human wisdom about coping effectively in the face of a family crisis." --Sandra L. Harris, PhD, Professor and Dean, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
"The revised edition of this superb text provides a comprehensive review of the topic which is relevant to an international readership. It contains an extremely readable account of the essential information needed by professionals in order to develop effective working relationships with parents of children with disabilities. It should be on the required reading list for all teachers, social workers, therapists, psychologists and medical staff concerned with childhood disability." --Garry Hornby, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Education, University of Hull, England
"...An important work...Its summaries of research and theory provide an excellent overview and introduction to work with families with disabilities." --Diana Garland, Journal of Family Ministry
"Honest, respectful and empathetic dealings with developmentally disabled youngsters and their families is difficult for school professionals because so few of us have walked in their shoes. This book has provided my school psychology students with the knowledge and skills needed to work effectively with the families of the developmentally disabled. It goes further than the first edition by providing additional materials and including recent research, new programs and approaches that have emerged during the past several years, legal changes, and new resources that have been developed for families." --Marla Brassard, PhD
Review
"This second edition offers a much broader perspective on the adaptation of families to disability, reflecting changes in both the authors' perspectives and experiences, as well as changes in the social context for this counseling since the original publication....The unexpected bonus, in the last chapter, is a clearly outlined family-needs identification instrument that will be invaluable to professionals looking for the elements of family-centered care. Clearly written and logically developed, with an open-minded approach to the mutual learning that goes on between professionals and these wonderfully resilient families they work with, and an extensive and up-to-date bibliography, this book should be recommended reading for anyone counseling children with disabilities and their families, including medical professionals outside of the mental health field." --
Journal of Psychsomatic ResearchReview
"Milton Seligman and Rosalyn Darling have done a wonderful job describing the impact a child's disability can have on a family. They deserve special praise for their attention to the frequently overlooked concerns of fathers, siblings, and grandparents. The user-friendly discussion of family systems and the many insightful quotes from family members will make this book valuable to family members and service providers alike." --Donald J. Meyer, MEd, Director, Sibling Support Project, Children's Hospital and Medical Center, Seattle, Washington; editor of
Uncommon Fathers: Reflections on Raising a Child with Special Needs.
"The second edition of Ordinary Families, Special Children continues in the fine tradition of the first. The book, firmly anchored in empirical research, brings the laboratory data alive with commentary by mothers, fathers, and others who love a child with a disability. Seligman and Darling offer a critical look at the literature, blended with human wisdom about coping effectively in the face of a family crisis." --Sandra L. Harris, PhD, Professor and Dean, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
"The revised edition of this superb text provides a comprehensive review of the topic which is relevant to an international readership. It contains an extremely readable account of the essential information needed by professionals in order to develop effective working relationships with parents of children with disabilities. It should be on the required reading list for all teachers, social workers, therapists, psychologists and medical staff concerned with childhood disability." --Garry Hornby, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Education, University of Hull, England
"...An important work...Its summaries of research and theory provide an excellent overview and introduction to work with families with disabilities." --Diana Garland, Journal of Family Ministry
"This second edition offers a much broader perspective on the adaptation of families to disability, reflecting changes in both the authors' perspectives and experiences, as well as changes in the social context for this counseling since the original publication....The unexpected bonus, in the last chapter, is a clearly outlined family-needs identification instrument that will be invaluable to professionals looking for the elements of family-centered care. Clearly written and logically developed, with an open-minded approach to the mutual learning that goes on between professionals and these wonderfully resilient families they work with, and an extensive and up-to-date bibliography, this book should be recommended reading for anyone counseling children with disabilities and their families, including medical professionals outside of the mental health field." --Journal of Psychsomatic Research
Review
"This important book does a wonderful job of integrating the authors' longstanding themes of respect and compassion with the most current information on the family functioning, treatment, and education of people with a range of disabilities. This is an exceptionally valuable resource for professionals in any discipline who serve families coping with disability. It will be a useful text for graduate students in social work."--Sandra L. Harris, PhD, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
"The scholarship and keen insight of Seligman and Darling have informed and guided my work as a clinical psychologist with families of children with disabilities, as well as my own family life with a child who has autism. This book is a tour de force of breadth and depth in its summaries of research and theory and their real-life applications. It is truly an essential and comprehensive resource for practitioners and researchers, and an excellent text for advanced undergraduates and graduate students in special education, social work, psychology, family studies, and pediatric specialties."--Robert A. Naseef, PhD, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
"Seligman and Darling effectively blend clinical insight, current research, and cultural sensitivity in this substantive and exciting third edition. The book demonstrates how researchers look beyond the impact of special children on mothers, promoting a conceptualization of family well-being that includes fathers, siblings, and grandparents. Offering fresh perspectives on families, this extraordinary book is sufficiently accessible for students and will also be appreciated by professionals in the field."--Jan B. Blacher, PhD, University of California, Riverside
Synopsis
This comprehensive and clinically useful resource provides a multisystems perspective on childhood disability and its effects on family life. The volume examines the many variables that shape the ways families respond to childhood disability and the extent to which they can overcome the physical, cultural, and social barriers to a satisfactory lifestyle. Integrating theory and research with evocative first-hand accounts from parents, siblings, and grandparents, the authors demonstrate how to apply a social and family systems-based approach to assessment and intervention with diverse families.
Synopsis
This popular clinical reference and text provides a multisystems perspective on childhood disability and its effects on family life. The volume examines how child, family, ecological, and sociocultural variables intertwine to shape the ways families respond to disability, and how professionals can promote coping, adaptation, and empowerment. Accessible and engaging, the book integrates theory and research with vignettes and firsthand reflections from family members.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 279-309) and index.
About the Author
Milton Seligman, PhD, is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology in Education at the University of Pittsburgh. His chief academic interest is in the area of childhood disability and the family. Other areas of instruction and scholarship include individual and group psychotherapy and clinical supervision. Retired since 2004, Dr. Seligman maintains a private practice and serves on the editorial board for the Journal for Specialists in Group Work.
Rosalyn Benjamin Darling, PhD, is Professor Emerita of Sociology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Prior to assuming her academic position, she served for 15 years as the executive director of an agency serving young children with disabilities and their families and was the founder and first president of the Early Intervention Providers Association of Pennsylvania. Dr. Darling has authored or coauthored eight books and numerous articles and chapters on disability and human services. She has played an active role in many state- and national-level disability-related organizations and committees and is currently engaged in research on orientations toward disability.
Table of Contents
I. Conceptual Framework1. Introduction and Conceptual Framework I: Social and Cultural Systems
2. Conceptual Framework II: Family Systems Theory and Childhood Disability
3. All Families Are Not Alike: Social and Cultural Diversity in Reaction to Childhood Disability
II. The Family Life Cycle
4. Becoming the Parent of a Child with a Disability: Reactions to First Information
5. Childhood: Continuing Adaptation
6. Looking to the Future: Adolescence and Adulthood
III. The Family System
7. Effects on the Family as a System
8. Effects on Fathers
9. Effects on Siblings
10. Effects on Grandparents
IV. Approaches to Intervention
11. Professional-Family Interaction: Working toward Partnership
12. Perspectives and Approaches for Working with Families
13. Applying a Partnership Approach to Assessing Family Resources, Concerns, and Priorities: Developing Family Service Plans