Psycho-social transitions in the lives of parents of children with handicapping conditions

A need is identified for a theoretical model to help make sense of conflicting reports on appropriate intervention in the lives of parents of handicapped children. Crisis theory offers a useful way forward, particularly when incorporated into the concept of psycho-social transitions. This concept is used to construct a model in which various negative parental emotions are viewed as entirely natural, but which may reflect diferent kinds of transition and therefore require different forms of intervention. It is postulated that appropriate forms of help to meet specific transitional needs will be most likely to lead to positive crisis resolution and adjustment to the reality of the child's handicapping condition. Preliminary findings of a study are reported, which employs the model as a means of evaluating the satisfied and unmet needs of three groups of mothers of handicapped children of similar ages. Although living in the same geographical area, each group had received a different kind of service for themselves and their children. The psycho-social transitions model proved useful in discriminating between theresolved and unresolved problems of each group and in identifying potentially helpful ways forward.