TASKS OF THE FAMILY
After either the initial diagnostic period or initial conversations about the child's injury or disability, the family's goal must be to return to “life as it was.” Often, one parent must return to work, siblings must return to school, and the diagnosis or disability begins to integrate into the family's world.
It is suggested here that a parent will have a better opportunity to achieve a new sense of “normalcy” and get their needs met when they are able to approach the child's illness or disability with a sense of confidence and inherent understanding that they will adapt and cope with an uncertainty that life may bring. Sandler (22), in her book Living with Spina Bifida, describes nine tasks that resilient parents of special-needs children learn. They are as follows:■ Balance the disability with other family needs.
■ Maintain clear family boundaries.
■ Become competent at communication.
■ See situations in a positive light.
■ Maintain family flexibility.
■ Be committed to the family unit.
■ Engage actively in coping strategies.
■ Be well-integrated socially.
■ Develop cooperative relationships with professionals.
■ Obtain information/education.
■ Learn new parenting skills.
■ Achieve equilibrium or homeostasis.