It is about the Psychological and sociological problems faced by families having challenged children. share it with many.

1. PSYCHO-SOCIAL PROBLEMS
FACED BY CHALLENGED FAMILIES
BY :Saba Bawa
Sara Ismail
Fatema Aun Ali
Zainab khan
Arooba Mushtaq

2. CONTENTS
•DEFINITIONS
•CHALLENGED FAMILY
•CHALLENGED CHILDREN
•PSYCHO-SOCIAL PROBLEMS
•PSYCHO-SOCIAL
PROBLEMS FACED BY
•PARENTS OF CHALLENGED
•SIBLINGS OF CHALLENGED
•RIGHTS OF CHALLENGED
CHILD & FAMILY
•COPING RESPONSES BY
•PARENTS
•SIBLINGS
•COPING STATEGIES
•PARENTS
•PROFESSIONALS
•COMMUNITY
•CONCLUSION

3. CHALLENGED FAMILY
• Dysfunctional or challenged families are
the ones having challenged children
either physically or mentally or both.

4. CHALLENGED CHILDREN
• Challenged child is the term legally or
morally used for the child who is
mentally challenged or he may have any
learning disability associated with
physical impairment.
• They are often called as ―Special child‖
thus having special needs of personal
attention to attain their fullest potential.

5. PSYCHO-SOCIAL PROBLEMS
• Psycho-social relates to one's
psychological development in, and
interaction with, a social environment
• Problems that occur in one's psychosocial functioning can be referred to as
"psycho-social dysfunction" or "psychosocial Morbidity"

6. PSYCHO-SOCIAL PROBLEMS
FACED BY CHALLENGED FAMILY
• PARENTS
• Parents the legal guardian of a
challenged child face a great deal of
problems while bringing up their
children.

7. PROBLEMS FACED BY
PARENTS

8. EMOTIONAL ISSUES

9. GUILT
• They often struggle with guilt as if
they somehow caused the child to be
disabled.

10. STRESS
• Due to the many responsibilities &
burden of coping with a disable child
they experience a lot of stress.

11. DISAPPOINTMENT
• Parents hold high hopes when the
child is born and when disability
diagnosed, feels disappointed that
their ambitions won‘t be possible.

12. EMBARRASSMENT
• Parents feel embarrassed that their
child is not mentally or physically
stable.

13. LOSS OF SOCIAL RELATIONS
• They become socially very isolated.

14. PHYSICAL ISSUES
-Exhaustion
-Close medical monitoring
-Avoid self harm

15. MONITOR BEHAVIOUR
• Parents might have to keep a close
eye and monitor the child‘s behavior
at school in order to ensure that he or
she is not being bullied at.

16. EDUCATIONAL ISSUES

17. SEARCH FOR PRIVATE
EDUCATION
• Parents usually have to search for
private education or an adequate
public education which provides all
the needs.

18. TRANSPORTATION
• Transportation to and from the
school might be an
issue, hence, home schooling a better
option.

19. FINANCIAL ISSUES
-Care giving expenses
-Private education
-Professional help

20. SOCIAL ISOLATION EXPRESSED:
―
I often don‘t accept invitations to friends‘ homes because
of Helen‘s behavior—she pick things up, break
ornaments.‖
(mother of 9yrs old Helen with mental retardation)
STRESS EXPRESSED:
― We are forever finding new obstacles to overcome.
Necessary aids and equipment are not forthcoming, a
change of teacher at school might cause Joseph
additional distress, or the limited respite care we get is
subject to another review …….probably cuts. We
experience a constant strain on one emotions due to all
this uncertainty.‖
(mother of 13yrs old with severe learning disabilities)

21. SENSE OF GRIEF EXPRESSED:
‗She‘s our daughter and we should look after
knowing about ―normal‖ children, does not help
you to understand her needs‘
(father of 9yrs old girl with ‗developmental delay)
SENSE OF VULNERABILITY EXPRESSED:
‗Everyone who meets Sarah likes her, but it only
takes someone to say, ―Come with me‖
she‘d go off with them and not question why.‘
(mother of 13yrs old with learning disabilities)

22. • INTERVIEW VIDEO CLIP

23. PROBLEMS FACED BY SIBLINGS
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Experience of disturbance
Lack of parental attention
Adverse emotional problems
Feelings of disproportionate
consideration
Feelings of insecurity
Loss of property
Low Self esteem
Fear of having same type of children

24. CASE STUDY:
Ali: 17yrs old; moderate MR
Salman:16yrs old; Epilepsy
Hira:21yrs old; Graduating
Ali, Salman, and Hira are siblings. Ali being a
slow learner is seeking special education.
Salman studying in normal school but he is
3yrs late at school. He is a student of Grade
8 ,but his academics is now becoming
difficult for him because of some learning
disabilities. He does not get as much
attention of his teachers as he requires and is
likely to be rusticated from school.

25. Ali is progressing at school and has achieved goals of
self maintenance to some extent.
Currently, Ali‘s and Salman‘s odd behavior in public
causes sidelong glances from other parents,
as if to imply that they should be controlled ,since they
seems normal. Salman‘s repetitive behavior includes
getting out of bed at night and going to his parents‘
bedroom, saying ‗out of bed‘ and laughing. He will
repeat this behavior as often as possible ;it causes much
tension because he will not stop.
• Hira sometimes feel embarrassed and guilty of being
a part of such family consisting of two special
children.

26. Hira spends her little time with her brothers as she
remains busy in her studies. But still much
concerned about her brothers‘ future. In fact, the
family‘s greatest concern is about Salman‘s and
Ali‘s future.
Hira is a high achiever and successful in
academics. But her concern about her brothers‘
future lead her thinking about her future spouse‘s
response. Whether he would accept her brothers
and support her in nurturing and taking care of her
brothers in future.

27. Hira expressed her feelings of fear:
“Although I am talented and successful one and I have
much better sense of empathy towards other and much
liked as altruistic personality by others but still I am
unable to share my feelings of being a part of
dysfunctional family, with my friends and teachers
because I am afraid of social exclusion and afraid of
rejection from mainstream.”

28. • To solve and avoid these
problems, the rights of
challenged children should be
provided. So as to provide a relief
to their parents.

29. RIGHTS OF CHALLENGED
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Right to be treated with dignity
Right to education
Right to confidentiality
Right to vocational rehabilitation
Right to social support
Right to transportation
Right to refuse treatment while in
residential care
• Right to privacy

30. RIGHTS
Right to be treated with dignity
These individuals may not be
neglected, verbally harassed, or
physically abused in any setting.

31. Right to confidentiality
• They must be aware of and agree to
the distribution personnel records.
They must also have access to
records.

32. Right to education
• Free and appropriate public education
must be provided to all individuals
ages 3-21. Education must include
necessary related services and an
individualized education program.

33. Right to social support
These individuals are eligible to
receive Supplemental Security
Income, Medicare, and Medicaid.

34. Right to vocational rehabilitation
• Vocational rehabilitation services
include:
• Vocational evaluation
• Career guidance
• Employment counseling
• Medical and psychiatric care
• Vocational training etc.

35. COPING RESPONSES

36. BY PARENTS
• Strive for different diagnosis, i.e. frequent visits to
health professionals. They want their children to see
at minimum scale of disability.
• Some become very much Psychologically stressed
and go for spiritual treatments.
•
Despite the various difficulties that parents raising
children with special needs indicated, 75% of
parents reported a favorable and optimistic outlook
and expressed satisfaction with their lives.

37. • After acceptance of a disability of child, they seek
to learn more and more about that disability.
• Search for health care professionals to improve
child‘s health status.
• Educated ones attend seminars and workshops to
learn coping strategies.

38. HEALTHY COPING Responses
By Siblings:
• May share their fears and feelings of
frustrations with parents and health
professionals (e.g. Counselors)
• May use artwork and journals to deal with
feelings
• May use humor as coping mechanism.

39. UNHEALTHY COPING Responses
Siblings:
• May become deliberately ignorant of
family life.
• May become troublesome at home to
gain parental attention
• May misuse –drug, food, sex and
alcohol to compensate for what
missing in home life.

40. LESS HEALTHY COPING
Responses
Siblings
• Many become workaholics and
overachievers in academics, sports
and other areas.
• May be overly involved in home
affairs thus become surrogate
parents.

41. COPING STRATEGIES

42. FOUNDATION COPING
STRATEGIES
• Explanatory work.
• Finding out about the child.
• Evaluating past strategies.
• Comparing and integrating information.

43. THINKING WORK STRATEGY
1. Separating disability from a child.
2. Thinking positively. Parents made an
effort to think positively about their own
coping abilities.
3. Maintaining a helpful focus. This meant
concentrating on ―one day at a time‖.
4. Keeping expectations realistic.

44. CAPACITY WORK STRATEGY
1.
2.
3.
4.
Managing other activities.
Skill learning.
Working together.
Using social support.

45. CONCLUSION
• Challenged families however fluctuate
between functionality and dysfunctionality but if adequate coping
strategies are followed and their
rights are preserved then their
problems can be solved to much
extent.