Children with intellectual disability: Essentials in the family

Pages: 2040-2044
Hardeep Kaur (Department of Social Work, Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab)

Intellectual disability is the contemporary term that describes the phenomenon known as mental retardation or sub normality. Presence of an intellectually disabled child in the family, at times gives rise to disequilibrium, which is eventually followed by adjustment to life with or without any undue stress. These stresses emerge and reemerge during the upbringing of the child and in the long run may also result in resentment due inability to change the situation. One time support does not relieve the parents from the problems emerging on daily basis. Families are thus required to be strong in order to cater to the demands and the pressures that come up during the process of upbringing of their child. This paper outlines the parental issues related to the child with intellectual disability and some of the factors that construct a strong family which include effective communication, cohesion, emotional regulation and resilience.