Transition is a dynamic lifelong process that seeks to meet individual needs as a person with disabilities moves from childhood to adulthood. Per laws in most states, once an individual becomes 18 years of age that person is considered an adult regardless of the level of his or her disability. Initiating planning for adult living activities and…

Children with disabilities receive most of their support from families. While most family caregivers are mothers or fathers, grandparents are increasingly providing care for children with disabilities. In addition, family caregivers come from diverse cultural backgrounds that impact their views on disability. This paper reviews the literature on…

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…

Basic information about respite care for individuals with disabilities and their families is presented in a question-and-answer format. The following questions are addressed: "What is respite?"; "Who needs respite services?"; "Who provides respite services?"; "What kinds of services are provided?"; "How…

This hearing addresses issues in the reauthorization of the Child Abuse Challenge Grant Program, which provides federal funds to match state funding for child abuse prevention programs, and reauthorization of the Temporary Child Care for Handicapped Children and Crisis Nurseries Act, which provides respite care for families with children with…

Two newsletters focus on alternatives for community living and approaches to teaching social skills to children and youth with disabilities. The first issue provides information on some family support services and community-based living arrangements that are currently available for children with severe and profound handicaps or chronic illnesses.…

In this paper, by an educator who is also the parent of a son with mental retardation, the urgent needs of families whose children have chronic medical needs in addition to disabilities are discussed. One family's efforts to maintain their severely retarded and disabled son at home are described as an illustration not only of the unsurpassed…

The "support not supplant" theory of family support services is explained, and results of a national study of trends in family support are analyzed. Current efforts, state legislation, funding levels, respite services, financial assistance, and emerging issues are discussed. A directory of state family support programs is appended. (PB)

The handbook provides parents of children with disabilities guidance on planning for the child's future needs with special attention to resources and laws of Iowa. Section 1 gives a Future Planning Checklist and definitions of common legal terms. Section 2 addresses estates, trusts, and wills and provides common estate planning questions and…

The challenges that families face in caring for a child with a disability or a chronic illness are reviewed in this report on respite care. A parent's narrative describes the difficulties in providing around-the-clock care to a child with a chronic illness. The benefits of respite care are outlined as follows: gives the family peace of mind,…

This booklet documents the ability of parents of children with special health needs and disabilities to achieve balance in their lives, by moving from crisis to control, from challenge to opportunity, from questions to answers. The booklet discusses concerns that confront parents of children with special needs, and answers the most common…

This report describes results of an evaluation of respite care programs and crisis nursery programs for children with disabilities, based on survey forms received from 81 programs and site visits to selected programs across the United States. The survey of crisis nursery programs and the survey of respite care programs gathered data on amount of…

This report examines respite care services that provide temporary relief to family members and other caretakers of children at risk of abuse or neglect including children who are mentally retarded, behaviorally disturbed, physically disabled, or chronically or terminally ill. In 1988 the 25 states surveyed funded 111 respite care programs as did…

Provides parents and other concerned persons with information about some of the family support services and community-based living arrangements that are currently available to assist families in meeting the needs of their children who are severely and profoundly handicapped and/or chronically ill. Discussion includes funding sources, respite care,…

We examined the service needs of foster families with children who have disabilities. Foster parents in a large Canadian city were asked "What services or supports would be helpful to you?" The responses to this question were edited for clarity and to eliminate redundancies, and sorted into piles of like statements by a group of 15…