ABSTRACT
This chapter continues to assess the impact of formal support services upon the families’ lives, but adopts a different approach from Chapter 7. Instead of presenting the views of families whose children vary widely in age, information is presented from two studies that concentrated on particular events in the family life cycle: the disclosure of the diagnosis of Down’s syndrome to the parents and the child’s entry into school. These events represent times of potential strain and crisis for families (Wickler et al., 1981), times when professionals are closely involved with the family, and can play a vital support role.
