American legislation (P.L. 99-457 through P.L. 102-119) promoting the concerns and rights of families of young children with disabilities has prompted professionals and researchers throughout the world to attain a greater understanding of the needs of this population. A deficit model has been used to guide much of the study of young children with disabilities and their families in past years. More recently, however, alternative conceptual perspectives, which advocate a family-centred approach to service provision, have been developed. The purpose of this paper is to review current research about families of young children with disabilities, and to raise issues related to the actual application of this knowledge at both policy and practice levels.
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