The severity of disability is another factor with specific implications for parents. Children with mild conditions, such as learning disabilities and mild mental retardation, may not be identified until school readiness screening. This might cause parents to regret not having had the opportunity for early intervention. The advantage, however, would be that these children have been treated as normal throughout their infant, toddler, and early childhood years (Fewell, 1986a).
Once of school age, another advantage for children with mild disabilities would be a greater opportunity to be mainstreamed and integrated among other children without disabilities in the least restrictive environment. By this time, parental reactions may be varied, depending on each individual family's perception and experience relating to mild disabilities.
Fewell (1986b) indicates that parents of children with moderate disabilities may face ambiguity and feel puzzled or stressed, especially if at times their child is perceived as "normal," and at other times they are not. Generally speaking, families of a child with severe disabilities tend to experience more stress than those of a child with mild disabilities (Turnbull et al., 1988). However, children with severe disabilities are generally identified at birth or shortly after. Although the early diagnosis is often a source of great sadness accompanied with loss of self-esteem, feelings of shame, ambivalence, depression, self-sacrifice, and/or defensiveness (Roos, 1985), these children tend to receive early assistance and intervention. Parents and professionals need to consider the differential impact of different types and severity of disabling conditions. Accurate information provided for parents may decrease ambiguity, help parents to set appropriate goals and expectations, and start home intervention activities as early as possible (Fewell, 1986a).
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