Understanding Families: Approaches to Diversity, Disability, and Risk / Edition 1

by Marci J. Hanson

Overview

The contemporary American family has many different faces, beliefs, backgrounds, and value systems - and new and future early interventionists, service providers, and educators must be ready to understand and work respectfully with families of every type. They'll learn how in this accessible textbook, which combines up-to-the-minute research on families and family-centered services with practical suggestions for working successfully with caregivers, especially those whose young children are at risk or have disabilities. Two trusted experts thoroughly prepare readers to understand and work respectfully with today's families, giving preservice professionals an overview of demographics and family diversity, including factors such as family membership, socioeconomic status, culture, ethnicity, and language insight into how disability influences family life help with addressing specific risk factors that influence family life, such as disability, poverty, addiction, and violence a guide to factors that contribute to resilience tips on communicating and collaborating effectively with families guidelines on understanding legislation related to educational and family support, assessment, and intervention guidance on forming strong alliances with families and other professionals vignettes that paint vivid pictures of the challenges families face today Enhanced throughout by its emphasis on human resilience and strength, this comprehensive blend of research and practice is every professional's expert guide to understanding and meeting the needs of diverse families with young children.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781557666994
Publisher:	Brookes Publishing
Publication date:	10/01/2003
Edition description:	Older Edition
Pages:	247
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.60(d)

Table of Contents

	About the Authors	vii
	Acknowledgments	ix
	Introduction	xi
Section I	Contemporary Family Issues
Chapter 1	Diversity in Contemporary Families	3
Chapter 2	Theoretical Perspectives for Understanding Families	39
Chapter 3	Traditional and Evolving Family Roles and Functions	63
Section II	Risk and Resilience
Chapter 4	The Effects of Disability on Family Life	89
Chapter 5	Families in Poverty: Cumulative Risks and Resilience	123
Chapter 6	Addiction and Violence in the Home: Family Life at Risk	147
Section III	Family Support and Services
Chapter 7	Forming Family--Professional Alliances: Research and Practice	185
Chapter 8	Communicating and Collaborating with Families: Cornerstones of Family-Centered Practices	211
	Conclusion: The Family as Possibility	237
	Index	241