Change in Family Status and Special Needs Children - Research Paper Example

?Running Head: SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN AND CHANGE Research into the effect of change in family status on the behavior of special needs children Class University Table of Contents Abstract 3 Chapter One: Research Question 4 Introduction 4 Description of the Problem 4 Problem Statement 5 History and Background 5 Relevance to the Discipline of Psychology 7 Definition of Terms 8 Chapter Two: Literature Review 9 Introduction 9 Literature Review 9 Synthesis and Critique 11 Resources 12 Abstract The following research proposal discusses the need for exploration into the behavioral changes that can be observed in special needs children as change enters into the family dynamic. Research in child behavior where change is concerned is lacking, and the element of the needs of a special needs child for routine and established stability in the family environment creates a rich environment for understanding how change impacts the behavioral reactions of children during family status shifts. Children with special needs most often have a need for strict need for structures and routines in order to manage their issues and change can create behavioral problems that further disrupt the family. Exploration into this phenomenon can enlighten psychologists as they approach problems of families with special needs children, helping them to find ways in which to enlarge their capacity for resilience and to find processes through which to manage change. Research into the effect of change in family status on the behavior of special needs children Chapter One: Research Question Introduction When a special needs child arrives into the dynamic of a family space, the way in which the family interacts and behaves will create a difference in the progress that a child will experience against the challenges of their need. Changes in the family status will affect the way in which the child behaves, his or her development disrupted where routine had given a sense of safety and security for their care. The following proposal will explore the potential for research in this area, giving a framework in which the study of family status as it relates to the successful development of a special needs child is explored for the effect and influences involved. The effect of changes in family status will be researched in order to understand its effect on the behaviors of special needs children when change comes into their lives. Description of the Problem Family status can refer to a number of different changes that affect the family. A change in the number of family members, such as the addition of a new child or a single parent bringing in an adult partner, or the event of a child or parent leaving can affect that status of the family. Employment status will affect the family status as changes that increase or decrease the family income, change the at home hours of the employed member, or a loss of income both or either decreases overall income and increases the amount of time spent at home. Other changes that can affect the family status can include moving to a new residence, children leaving the nest and exiting the home, or a significant change in the way in which the family operates through any of a variety of instances (Hansen, Joshi, and Dex, 2009). A special needs child will most often require the institution of strict routines in which the function of the family becomes equipped to deal with the needs that the child will require. When a change occurs, this routine will change, thus changing how people relate to one another and changing the way in which the family operates. For many special needs children, a routine and a sense of consistency is important in managing their behavior and progress. For all children consistency is important, but for the purposes of achieving learning outcomes and socializing children towards integrating into society, a predictable routine is crucial. As well, it is essential for the continuation of constancy in a routine so that special needs children can achieve a sense of security and relief from anxieties (Klein, Cook, & Richardson-Gibbs, 2001). Problem Statement Special needs children thrive best in a family structure where consistency and routine are high priorities within a stable environment. Change, however, is an ongoing process throughout life and changes will occur in the family structure that will affect the consistency and routine that has been established. Special needs children require routine and stability, but the changes that will naturally occur in any family can result in behavioral changes and possibly problems when a child who needs routine has had to make adjustments they may not be equipped to handle. History and Background As recently as fifty years ago families were encouraged to give up their children to an institution when the child was designated with an issue that placed them in the category of special needs (Ysseldyke & Algozzine, 2006). In the middle of the 19th century social policy began to emerge in which it was common place to take children who were felt to be in crisis from their families and place them in public and private facilities. These children could range from children who were living in impoverished families to those whose medical or mental issues placed them outside of social norms in concern with their development. The families were often not a part of the decision making process, nor were the needs of the child in regard to the type of facility in which they were placed. Part of the problem within society was based upon fears that the issues of those who had mental or physical challenges were a threat to society. In 1904 Dr. H. H. Goddard, director of research in the Vineland Training School for Backward Children addressed the American Academy of Medicine calling for segregation of children who had mental and physical challenges in order to prevent them from passing their affliction on through contact and procreation (Medical Society of New Jersey, 1904). This did not continue to be the social policy that would dominate, but social attitude continued to be a problem. In 1909 the United States government declared that children would be best served if they were allowed to be with their families, but very little was done in order to place children back with their families (Gargiulo & Kilgo, 2004). When Social Security was put into place in 1935, provisions were made so that children with special needs could be kept with their families without the high burden of the extra costs involved making a harsh impact on the family income. The Aid to Dependent Children act was signed into law in order to encourage families to stand together and meet social and medical challenges together rather than through state intervention (Brady, 2008). In a study intended to discover the affect of the family environment on special needs children against those who had grown up in an institutional environment, Spodek and Saracho (2005) report that children who grew up in families had a 50% higher prospect to integrate into society than those who grew up in institutions. The problem, however, was in putting into place educational information on how to handle the needs of children who were different from their siblings or from what is considered normal within society. Rather than institutions that uniformly took care of children in spite of individuated needs, family education about the needs of children who have issues became a central goal of the medical community in order to support in home care (Ambrosino, 2011). Relevance to the Discipline of Psychology One of the core problems addressed through support for families dealing with a special needs child is in creating a stable, routine oriented environment that provides safety and security for a child who is more dependent on their family than other children. This is a relatively new consideration since public policy has changed dramatically in the last 100 years and research on the behavioral issues that emerge are lacking in depth and diversity (Forrest, 2004). A special needs child will require time and organization within the family, not to mention greater financial considerations and a focus on the child with the special needs. Life, however, will happen and changes will occur that will disrupt the routine of the family sometimes with irreversible changes. The question becomes centered on how to create a routine stable environment for a child who needs a relatively unchanging environment when the world changes rapidly impacting how life is conducted. The psychological development of children with special needs is dependent upon a life that is structured with routine. Children who suffer from conditions such as autism or ADHD require a structured life with established routines in order to calm anxiety and quell urges to act out through sometimes aggressive or violent behaviors (East & Evans, 2006). In examining the results of change in the family status where the behavior of special needs children is concerned a better understanding of the psychology of their disorders can be established. Definition of Terms Special Needs – As defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Social Services, special needs children include “chronic physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional conditions [which] require health and related services of a type or amount beyond that required by children generally” (Levy, 2006). Family Status – When an element enters or leaves a family which creates changes to routine or dynamics that will affect the overall nature of how the family functions. Chapter Two: Literature Review Introduction The following literature review will examine the issues in regard to special needs children and a change in family status as it affects behavior. The review will examine various opinions and theories that have been established within the field of psychology on the affect of routine on behavior as it concerns special needs children, relating this to the potential for changing in family status that can impact the development of the special needs child. Literature Review It is important to establish, as discussed by Poehlmann (2005), that catastrophic change in a family dynamic will lead to behavioral problems in most children whether they have special needs or not. In a study that examines the impact of maternal incarceration on children she determined that 90% of these children go to other parental figures such as grandparents as opposed to their father. The importance of stability in the maternal figure emerges as a variety of behavioral problems begin to synthesize across social boundaries that suggest that all children need the stability of the maternal agent. This conclusion, however, is not conclusive as it appears that studies on family status change and on children in general are lacking where behavioral problems are concerned. Forrest (2004) suggests that the relevant literature represents a gap in sufficient research on the experiences of children in regard to behavior and development. The problem is that research on children is limited to self-reporting by parents and limited observational periods which do not provide enough accurate data to come to sufficient conclusions. One area that has proven more accessible to research is in the adoption of special needs children. According to Schweiger and O’Brien (2005) changes in law have made adoption of children older than infancy an attractive proposition for people who are seeking to become parents. The percentage of children over the age of six that have special needs across the United States is over 90% (Adamec & Miller 2007). The issues that have emerged, however, is that the situation of the adoption is dissolved when the new family dynamic becomes too difficult in which to adjust. Services for post-adoption care are lacking and the adjustment that must be made by a child whose needs involve routine can lead to behaviors that are beyond the scope of the new parent to handle (Schweiger and O’Brien, 2005). Patterson (2002) looks at the issue of change in regard to family resiliency. Defining the difference between family resiliency and family resilience, one is defined by its capacity, while the second is defined by its process. The process of resilience in families with special needs children is different than those in families with members who fit into social norms of health and mental well-being. While the family will have resilience that is higher, forced because of the presence of a member who pulls them into a special circumstances category in which the routine set for the family is most often dictated by one family member, the resiliency may be impacted by the presence of that member. The behaviors of one member can set off the deterioration of the family through stress that cannot be overcome. Resilience, according to Walsh (2002), emerges through supportive adult figures that have learned to weather change while maintaining their own emotional center. Children who can depend on their parents to be consistent, especially special needs children, will find that disruption to their routine can be managed with fewer behavioral problems. Walsh (2002) states that “Efforts to foster family resilience aim both to avoid pathology and dysfunction and to enhance functioning and well-being” (p. 130). Vulnerable families, such as families dealing with special needs in their children, are at risk of a lack of resilience as adults begin to depend on the routine for stability as much as the children and fear the result should the routine be disrupted, thus failing to provide the support needed as they suffer from the effects of their fear. Synthesis and Critique There is a need for more research into the behavioral patterns of special needs children in regard to behavior as the family status changes (Forrest, 2004). Family resiliency frameworks allow for a structure in which to situate the family in regard to their capacity to withstand change as well as their process through which change is managed. Walsh (2002) discusses the stress that parents suffer during change in regard to the fear that emerges about what change will mean to the family. This suggests that while the capability is present, structures on how to handle change through well thought out processes have not been established (Patterson, 2002). Because of the dynamic of adoption scenarios, this might be the best place in which to study change as it relates to behavior in special needs children, but the dynamic of a special needs child as they enter into a family would be different than that of a child who is born into a family. Development stages are experienced by parents who have a child from infancy where a child who is a bit older will have already established developmental stages and routines that work may not be apparent as quickly. This might provide better resources to research change, but less resources where impact on a single family is concerned. What is clear is that there is a need for further research to establish a better understanding of how change impacts the behavior of special needs children. Resources Adamec, C. A., & Miller, L. C. (2007). The encyclopedia of adoption. New York: Facts On File. Ambrosino, R. (2011). Social work and social welfare: An introduction. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole. Brady, J. A. (2008). A place at the table: Justice for the poor in a land of plenty. New London, CT: Twenty-Third Pub. East, V., & Evans, L. (2006). At a glance: A practical guide to children's special needs. London: Continuum. Forest, C. B. (April 2004). Outcomes research on children, adolescents and their families. Medical Care. 42(4): 19-22. Gargiulo, R. M., & Kilgo, J. L. (2004). Young children with special needs. Clifton Park, NY: Thomson/Delmar Learning. Hansen, K., Joshi, H., & Dex, S. (2009). Children of the 21st century: The first five years. Bristol: Policy. Klein, M. D., Cook, R. E., & Richardson-Gibbs, A. M. (2001). Strategies for including children with special needs in early childhood settings. Albany: Delmar. Levy, B. S. (2006). Social injustice and public health. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, N Y. Medical Society of New Jersey. (1904). Journal of the Medical Society of New Jersey. Lawrenceville, N.J. [etc.: Medical Society of New Jersey. Patterson, J. M. (May 2002). Integrating family resilience and family stress theory. Journal of Marriage and Family. 64(2): 349-360. Poehlmann, J. (December 2005). Children’s family environments and intellectual outcomes during maternal incarceration. Journal of Family and Marriage. 67(5): 1275-1285 Schweiger, W. K. & O’Brien, M. (October 2005). Special needs adoption: An ecological systems approach. Family Relations. 54(4): 512-522. Spodek, B., & Saracho, O. N. (2005). International perspectives on research in early childhood education. Greenwich, Conn: Information Age. Walsh, F. (April 2002). A family resilience framework: Innovative practice applications. Family Relations. 51(2): 130-137. Ysseldyke, J. E., & Algozzine, R. (2006). Working with families and community agencies to support students with special needs: A practical guide for every teacher. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Corwin Press. Read More