The relationship between two key factors of parental burnout of mothers of children with disabilities was studied on a population of 69 women. Exhaustion and helplessness--two subscales of the new instrument: Parental Burnout Measure-12--showed a decreasing correlation with coherence and personal resiliency. Multiple regression analysis showed…

Typically developing children make choices daily. As they transition throughout school, they learn to evaluate the outcomes of their choices. However, elementary-age children with disabilities often experience difficulties in developing choice-making skills. Some of the barriers that impede the development of these skills include poor…

Problem Statement: Research has indicated that some mothers can cope with stressful life conditions and continue their lives normally, whereas others are unable to overcome such challenging conditions. Recent research has shown that mothers of children with disabilities are likely to know more about why some mothers have relatively well-adjusted…

The article uses learned helplessness as a model for better understanding burnout experienced by teachers of exceptional children. Comparisons are made between the treatment for learned helplessness and parallel strategies for preventing burnout, including helping educators to set realistic goals and recognize the control which they do have.…

Drawing upon the works of Paulo Freire and Lev S. Vygotsky, this paper argues that the institution of special education inculcates helplessness rather than autonomy, discusses the cognitive behavior modifications that enable self-control and self-mediation of learning, and proposes the educational ideal of student empowerment and autonomy. (JDD)

Subjects with long standing disabilities ranked disabilities on a scale of fortunate to unfortunate. Subjects tended to rank themselves as more fortunate (and therefore less disabled) than individuals with other types of disabilities, unlike nondisabled or recently disabled persons. The results suggest adaptation to disability after the remission…

The question of whether special education students exhibit more learned helpless behavior and a more external locus of control than regular students is examined. The effects of these psychological conditions on school success are considered, and programs for alleviating learned helplessness and establishing a more internal locus of control are…

Reasons for limited spontaneity of communication in individuals with high support needs are considered and include: it is an inherent characteristic, a product of highly structured teaching programs, a form of learned helplessness, or a product of a failure to systematically program for spontaneity. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

This study examined the impact of the 1998 Canadian ice storm on the physical and psychological health of older adults (age greater than 55 years) living with a chronic physical illness, namely osteoarthritis and/or osteoporosis. Although disasters are relatively rare, they are a useful means of examining the impact of a single stressor on a group…

A study examined the communication problems between nondisabled and disabled persons. A questionnaire was created based on a theoretical model of intercultural communication involving three levels of analysis: intrapersonal, interpersonal, and systematic. One hundred and two nondisabled and 40 disabled subjects reacted to a helping situation…