FAMILY ADAPTATION AND CHALLENGES - MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES

Recent research on families underscores the multiple long-term challen ges associated with adjusting to and caring for a son or daughter with a developmental disability. Both the informal and formal support syst ems have significant and pervasive effects on parental wellbeing. Simi larly, culture and ethnicity exert influences on families through beli ef systems and culturally endorsed practices, which increasingly are b eing considered in the design, conduct, and analysis of family studies . The literature reflects an interesting divergence, with both more cl inical case histories and more sophisticated multivariate and longitud inal analyses being reported.