Ordinary Families, Special Children: A Systems Approach to Childhood Disability

Many would agree that the growing number of children with disabilities is becoming astonishingly high. Children are being diagnosed with various disabilities including attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome, various learning disabilities, speech and language impairments, disabilities with hearing and sight, emotional disturbance and many other health impairments. The presence of a child with a disability in a family has an immense impact on the way the family functions. Milton Seligman and Rosalyn Benjamin Darling, in their book Ordinary Families, Special Children, explains and provides a multi-systems perspective on childhood disability and its effects on family life through research, suggestions and numerous real-life scenarios that depict ways families respond to having a child with a disability.