THE HUMAN-RIGHTS OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

This paper presents thirteen human rights of children with disabilitie s, and relates these to the (a) accompanying issues facing the family, and (b) resultant therapeutic tasks. Parents of children with disabil ities confront many challenges in raising their children, but do so in the absence of any role models for how best to parent a child with a disability. The therapist can greatly enhance the family's capacities in such parenting, but bears a responsibility to obtain knowledge and skills in working with children with disabilities and their families. The attitude and therapeutic stance of the therapist is fundamental to this work, as is helping families to incorporate the disability into the total gestalt of the child's identity. A nonpathologizing, coping model approach to increasing resiliency is emphasized.