Unpaid (informal) family caregivers provide vitally important supports to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), but receive little support or training. This study's aim was to examine how states across the nation supported informal family caregivers in their Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS) programs for…

The evidence that the birth of a child with a disability leads to divorce or separation is equivocal, with the majority of recent research suggesting that such a birth and childrearing may be stressful, but not necessarily toxic, to the caregiver relationship. Such research has been limited by small sample sizes and nonrepresentative samples and…

Respite care for parents of mentally retarded children may be provided through such services as placement agencies, group day care, existing community residences, state residential facilities, funding conduits, and camperships. Partlow State School and Hospital in Alabama has sorted an increasing number of families, since its inception in 1980.…

A social anthropologist and a child psychologist interviewed 171 Norwegian families with preschool children having nine different handicaps regarding consequences of the handicap for the family, respite care assistance, kindergartens, home help, community aid, and financial assistance. Findings indicated the major problem to be underutilization of…

This brief paper reviews six studies which examined out-of-home placement by Israeli parents of children with severe developmental disabilities. Implications for policy and practice are drawn, including the need for respite-care services, extended hours in schools, recreation programs, support services for parents, and training programs for…