Differences and similarities between 245 brothers and sisters of adults with mental retardation in the sibling relationship were examined. Sisters scored higher in the caregiving, companionship, and positive affect aspects of the sibling relationship. Sibling involvement increased over time, but was dependent upon changes in maternal health.…

This paper reviews research on the positive perceptions and experiences of other members in families with children with developmental disabilities. It also proposes a model for further study based on the hypothesis that positive perceptions function as strategies that help families adapt to or cope with the experiences of raising a child with…

Child-driven and transactional models of child-family interactions were tested with 80 children (ages 3-11) with developmental delays and their families. Results indicate that the longitudinal relationships among children's cognitive competence, personal-social competence, behavioral and communication difficulties, and family accommodations are…

Thirty pairs of fathers and mothers who had school-age children with developmental disabilities were compared with each other and with 32 parent pairs of typical children. Results indicated no differences between the fathers and mothers of children with disabilities; however, these parents did experience more parental stress than others.…

Daily activities were investigated of 237 mothers and 134 fathers of children with Down syndrome and 216 mothers and 174 fathers of children without Down syndrome. Compared to controls, parents of children with Down syndrome devoted more time to child care and spent less time in social activities. (Author/SW)

Parental stress and family dysfunction were examined in 55 families with and 55 families without young children with developmental disabilities. Although families of disabled children showed higher levels of stress, they were only minimally different from control families in their family functioning, indicating high degrees of resiliency.…

Ecocultural theory proposes that ecological effects are mediated through the activity settings of the daily routine, and emphasizes the importance of the "sustainability" of everyday activities as a predictor of child and family outcome. The theory's applications are illustrated using case materials from a study of 102 families with…

Parental stress was examined in socioeconomically matched mothers and fathers of children with Down syndrome (n=41) and typical children (n=58). Parents of children with Down syndrome perceived more caregiving difficulties, child-related stress (distractibility, demanding or unacceptable behavior), and parent-related stress (incompetence,…

Ninety-three families of children with developmental delays were interviewed, to investigate the functional accommodations made to sustain daily routines for a child with a disability. Results found a downward trend in accommodation intensity from age 7 to 11, while types of accommodations increased from age 3 to 11. (CR)

A survey of families who had adopted mentally retarded children approximately 5 years earlier found good family adjustment, with only 2 of 44 children not living with their adoptive/foster parents for reasons related to adjustment difficulties. The families had adopted or were fostering 12 additional children, 11 with handicapping conditions.…

Euro-American families (n=102) of young children with developmental delays reported substantial accommodation activity and proactive efforts to sustain a family environment. Accommodation variables included family subsistence and finances, accessibility of services, home and neighborhood safety, domestic workload, child care tasks, child play…

This study examined whether raising a child with Down's syndrome affects a family (n=34) differently than does raising a child with another developmental disability (n=74). Results found that long-term adjustment to raising children with other disabilities was comparable to that of raising children with Down's syndrome. (CR)

We identified 201 individuals who obtained IQs of 85 or below in high school and participated in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (a prospective longitudinal study that followed sample members from age 18 through age 53). Their life course development was contrasted with their siblings who obtained IQs above 100. Life course outcomes were assessed…

The social support networks of 418 adults with mental retardation who live at home were found to be large, durable, active, and diverse in their composition. Family members predominated as members. Males and those with the most severe mental retardation were found to be at risk for social isolation. (Author/JDD)

Data covering a 15-year period on the health, behavior, and functioning of 157 Scottish families of children with mental retardation and 165 comparison families were used in cluster analysis to obtain relatively homogeneous groupings of families. Only a small minority of families of children with mental retardation did not cluster together with…