The parents of a boy with Down syndrome and two nondisabled girls developed marital conflicts about their roles in managing the home, helping with schoolwork, spending time with the children, and setting realistic expectations for the children. They learned to more clearly express their feelings about their own needs and their children's needs.…

A child with a serious disability can have an extensive emotional impact on the family. A case study of the parents of a disabled child describes the demands imposed on them by therapeutic programs and the use of counseling to focus on their marriage and their problem-solving styles. (JDD)

In counseling sessions, a family with an adolescent son who has physical and academic problems comes to realize that each parent feels unappreciated for his or her efforts and that the father is overprotecting his son by not permitting him to solve his own problems and make his own decisions. (JDD)