ABSTRACT
These were the words Kelly’s mother used to describe her life immediately after receiving her daughter’s autism diagnosis. This chapter focuses on the crisis experienced immediately following identification of childhood disability. The effects of this crisis are multi-scaled and are experienced in full force by the affected child’s parents and their extended family. This study was inspired by my experiences working specifically with a resource center for families of children with disabilities and more generally with families of children with disabilities in diverse urban settings (Ragusa, 2007).
