Parenting Disabled Infants
Raising a disabled child is a difficult task, and it is accompanied by many trials and tribulations for the individuals parenting the child. Reproductive technology now allows humans to see the future that lies a head for their fetus. Abnormalities can be detected by different types of prenatal diagnostic testing (PDT) methods including such tests as amniocentesis and chronic villus sampling (Lawson, 2001). The majority of women who do discover that their fetus carries an abnormality after undergoing PDT decide to abort (Lawson, 74). The lack of desire to continue the growth of a disabled fetus by the participants of Lawson's study will be explained by examining the personal goals that individuals have surrounding parenting and the affects of the type of disability. Lawson argues that the underlying motives behind prenatal testing are often that "disability can reduce quality of life to an extent that non-existence is preferable to living with a disability, and or that the burdens of parenting a disabled child outweigh the joys" (Lawson, 2001, p. 74). A recent study reports that "mothers of disabled children were shown to report significantly more physical health complaints, and higher levels of depression, stress, anxie
Parents who are able to identify the rewards involved with parenting a disabled child may be more likely to promote healthy growth in their disabled child. It is argued that some disabilities, such as cleft lip and/or palate do not create stress levels in their parents which differ from non-disabled children (Pelchat et al. 390) it is known that the type of disability determines the severity of these difficulties (Pelchat, Bouchard, Perreault, Saucier, Berthiaume et al. Many argue "the family as the critical context of development for the young child" and it is well known that this environment must be rich to foster growth (Hauser-Cram, Warfield, Shonkoff, Wyngaarden Krauss, Upshur & Sayer, 1999, p. When evaluating the cost benefit analysis of raising a disabled child it was found that "rewarding aspects of raising a disabled child were commented on my only 11% (n=19) of participants" (Lawson, 2001, p. Characteristics such as the severity, chronicity and visibility of the condition, the degree of physical, intellectual or functional impairment, and the necessity of major surgical procedures have been found in many empirical studies to play a significant role on parental adaptation (Pelchat et al. Individuals weigh the advantages and disadvantages of having children in order to make a reproductive decision (Lawson, 2001). This has major implications on the lives of the disabled children. The family often proves to be a significant predictor of healthy growth in disabled children. , 1999; Hauser-Cram, Warfield, Shonkoff, Wyngaarden Krauss, Upshur & Sayer, 1999 ).
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