ABSTRACT
Children with developmental disabilities bring to their families extraordinary needs. and bring out in their families more reactions than writers have been able to enumerate. They bring to their parents and siblings a measure of joy, fulfilment and compassion as any child does, and they teach very special lessons of patience and caring. We must not lose sight of these positive effects as we, from our professional perspective, focus on emotional burden, childrearing demands, and lifelong uncertainties. None the less, these stresses are real, and much attention is being paid to defining stressors, examining coping strategies, and understanding of how professionals can play a meaningful role in supplementing and strengthening the family's own coping resources (Biacher, 1984).
