Doing for others: Occupations within families with children who have special needs

Abstract

Family occupations are carefully scheduled and constructed. Some family occupations, commonly dinner and leisure activities, provide families with the space and time to be together. In Western culture, such family time together is a source of idealized family images that are embedded in the experiences of togetherness and good relationships. Although actual experiences during such occupations often do not reproduce these idealized images, parents continue to construct and engage in them. The purposes of family occupations among families with children who have special needs are presented in this paper. These purposes are: being together; sharing; and affording learning opportunities. It is suggested in the discussion that these purposes motivate parents to construct family occupations. It is also suggested that the purposes of such engagement in family occupations are phenomena shared by all the families within a culture.

Key words:

• ADHD
• Experiences
• Physical disabilities
• Commitment
• Individualism