Social support and families of children with disabilities : towards positive family functioning

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to explore the social networks inventory as a tool for interventionists. The bio-ecological and developmental niche models form the theoretical framework within which examples from the field of disability attempt to highlight patterns that exist within the different levels of family’s social networks and their implications for rehabilitation planning and goals. A discussion of social networks and current literature regarding the impact of support on parents of children with disabilities is presented. The nature and the composition of members in the family’s and child’s networks are discussed together with the lack of overlap and the implications of enmeshed social networks between the child’s communication partners and that of the family’s in order to highlight implications of these patterns for family well-being. Implications for positive family functioning and the role of the interventionist in this process are proposed.