Describe the family systems approach to intervention

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The family systems approach emphasizes the individual's behavior being understood in the context of the family and the family's behavior being understood in the context of other social systems. It assumes that the more treatment and educational programs take into account the relationships and interactions among family members, the more likely they will be successful. A model developed specifically with persons with disabilities in mind includes four components: family characteristics, family interaction, family functions, and family life cycle. Family characteristics provide basic information related to the family and help determine how family members interact with themselves and with others outside the family. Family interaction examines the variety of functional and dysfunctional ways that family members relate to one another. In general, families are healthier if they have moderate degrees of cohesion (the degree to which an individual family member is free to act independently of other family members) and adaptability (the degree to which families are able to change their modes of interaction when they encounter unusual or stressful situations). Family functions are the numerous routines in which families engage to meet their many and diverse needs, and education is only one of many functions in which families are immersed. Family life cycle addresses how the impact of a child with a disability on the family changes over time, considering four distinct stages in the lives of families