Multiple Choice
1. In regards to children with disabilities, professionals have historically viewed parents as
A) A cause of the child’s problem
B) Collaborators
C) Passive recipients of services
D) Both A and C
2. What was the term, coined by Bettelheim, to describe the thought that cold, rigid mothers
were the cause of a child’s autism?
A) Frozen mothers
B) Cold families
C) Chilly household
D) Refrigerator mom
3. The degree of freedom and independence experienced by each member of a family is
known as
A) Cohesion
B) Adaptability
C) Transitions
D) Family life cycle
4. The family’s ability to change in response to a crisis or stressful event is known as
A) Cohesion
B) Transitions
C) Family interaction
D) Adaptability
5. In general, the initial phase of dealing with the news that a child has a disability is
characterized by
A) Shock
B) Grief
C) Denial
D) All of the above
6. The stages of parental reaction to having a child with a disability should be viewed as
A) The same for all families
B) Fixed and linear
C) Fluid and variable
D) The same for both parents
7. One of the most common and difficult feelings parents may experience when their child
is diagnosed with a disability is
A) Guilt
B) Joy
C) Ambivalence
D) Hatred
8. According to family systems theory, an issue such as a child’s exceptionality can only be
fully understood within the context of the
A) Parent-child interaction
B) Child-sibling interaction
C) Child-school interaction
D) Entire family unit
9. In general, on learning that a child has a disability, fathers may be more concerned with
A) Day-to-day burdens of child care
B) Potential changes in family dynamics
C) Long-term consequences
D) Immediate effects the disability may have on the child
10. One negative impact a child’s disability may have on siblings are feelings associated with
the absence of the disability in their own lives, known as
A) Shame
B) Survivor’s guilt
C) Sibling syndrome
D) Sibling rivalry
11. Siblings of children with disabilities may experience a range of emotions, including
A) Resentment
B) Jealousy
C) Rejection
D) All of the above
12. A common viewpoint of grandparents of children with disabilities as discussed in
literature is that
A) Their children must have done something to deserve this burden and therefore are
solely responsible for addressing it
B) Their children brought shame to the family by creating a child with a disability and
should be ousted from the family
C) Not only is this a difficult life for their grandchild to face, but it is also a difficult
life for their children
D) They would do a better job of raising their grandchild since they have already
raised children without disabilities
13. Arguably, the most powerful way in which grandparents can contribute to the family with
a child with a disability is
A) Acting as alternative caregivers
B) Providing sources of community support
C) Helping with chores
D) Providing emotional support
14. An obstacle that may inhibit cultural minority families’ involvement in education is
A) Deference to teachers and other professionals as decision makers
B) Lack of trust in the education system
C) Lack of knowledge of their rights as parents
D) All of the above
15. An awareness of, respect for and appreciation of the many factors that influence and
shape the values, priorities, and perspectives of both individuals and families is known as
A) Ethnocentrism
B) Cultural sensitivity
C) Cultural bias
D) Adaptability
16. When working with families from different cultural backgrounds, it is important to
A) Try to make them see things from the perspective of the dominant culture
B) Always address the father
C) Give deference to the key decision makers in the family
D) Use first names only to make the meetings more comfortable
17. A disability should always be considered in
A) The context of the dominant culture
B) The school context
C) The cultural context of the child
D) Whatever context causes the child the most trouble
18. Listening to parents and other caregivers with understanding is known as
A) Active listening
B) Reciprocity
C) Sympathy
D) Encouragement
19. Schools are expected to involve parents in decision-making processes when
A) Professionals think that parents will be able to understand the education system
B) Parents understand and speak the language
C) Parents are willing to comply with suggestions of professionals
D) Schools are always expected to involve parents
20. When first notifying parents of a child’s disability, it is best to
A) Provide parents with all possible information at once so it doesn’t appear that any
information is being withheld
B) Tell parents only the bare minimum in order to get the child services
C) Deliver information in two parts to allow parents to absorb the information
D) Notify the parent by letter that the child has a disability and will be receiving
special education services
21. Emotional reactions from parents when receiving news of a child’s disability are
A) A sign that the parents will not be able to handle the stress of raising such a child
B) Not likely; most parents can sense if their child has a disability
C) A sign of weakness
D) A normal reaction to the news that their lives are going to change
22. The primary decision maker for a child’s future is the
A) Parents
B) School
C) Child
D) Family
23. To establish meaningful and effective alliances with families with children who are
disabled, it is recommended that professionals create partnerships based on
A) The idea that professionals know more than families and families should defer to
professionals
B) Honesty, trust, and respect
C) The idea that most families are not capable of handling exceptional children
D) The assumption that all families will do everything possible to support their child
24. One source of aid that may relieve some of the burden of child care from the parents,
while keeping the family system intact, is
A) Respite care
B) Asylums
C) Adoption agencies
D) There are no groups available to help these parents
25. When working with families who have a child with a disability, it is important to
recognize that
A) These are actually dysfunctional families and should be treated as such
B) No family will ever run smoothly if they are dealing with an exceptional child
C) These families will have strengths and weaknesses but can learn to run smoothly
D) The emotional and financial burden will likely be so great that the parents will not
likely be able to care for the child
26. The eugenics movement
A) Pushed for the rights of disabled individuals
B) Sought to improve the quality of humankind through selective breeding
C) Built the foundation for parent-professional collaboration
D) Is still highly influential in modern society
27. IDEA brought about new roles for parents in the decision-making process, including
A) Active involvement in the assessment and identification process
B) Program evaluation
C) Input on placement decisions
D) All of the above
28. One reason that parents may not be actively involved in their child’s special education is
A) The law does not require it in all cases
B) Lack of empowerment
C) They do not know enough to be an active participant
D) Some children do not need the involvement of their parents
29. “Inputs” in relation to family characteristics can include
A) Geographic location
B) Size of family
C) Economics
D) All of the above
30. Which is a major factor in how a family reacts to change?
A) Adaptability
B) Wealth
C) Family size
D) Marital status of the parents
31. When working with a family that has an exceptional child, it is important for teachers and
other service providers to focus on the
A) Strength and resources of the family
B) Challenges and the stresses of the family
C) Dysfunction and chaos of the family
D) The life and times of the family
32. All of the following are current descriptions of how service providers and professionals
view the parental of exceptional children except
A) Collaborators
B) Advocates
C) Adversaries
D) Partners
33. As stated in the text, how many distinct periods are there in the history of
parent-professional relationships, with parents who have exceptional children?
A) 5
B) 10
C) 3
D) 0
34. Which law, known as the parent law, dramatically improved relationships between
parents and service providers by requiring full parent participation?
A) PL 98-090
B) PL 91-674
C) PL 95-128
D) PL 94-142
35. The fundamental belief underlying a ________________ is that a family is an interrelated
social system with unique characteristics and needs.
A) Parental belief system
B) Family systems model
C) Professional service system
D) Child first model
36. Family functions are seven interrelated activities that are necessary to fulfill the
individual and collective needs of the family. All of the following are examples of family
functions except
A) Affection
B) Education
C) Recreation
D) Adoption
37. The movement from one stage to another, within the family life cycle, is characterized as
A) Transitions
B) Stress
C) Family reconstruction
D) Adaptability
38. All of the following are examples of emotions that are part of the stages of parental
reaction to disability except
A) Affability
B) Ambivalence
C) Anger
D) Acceptance
39. Which of the following is not one of the stages outlined in the book for stages of parental
reactions to disability?
A) Primary
B) Tertiary
C) Acceptance
D) Secondary
40. Which of the following family members are not affected by a disabled child?
A) Parents
B) Siblings
C) Grandparents
D) None of the above
41. In creating a successful partnership with families who have a disabled child, caregivers
should do all of the following except
A) Concentrate on the challenges the family will face
B) Show empathy and support
C) Engage in active listening strategies
D) Acknowledge one’s own limitations
42. The ____________ provided the foundation for professional attitudes that parents were
the cause of their child’s disability.
A) Family systems model
B) Stage theory
C) Eugenics movement
D) Family interactions theory
43. _______________ involves sharing of information and resources as well as expertise and
a commitment to jointly reaching decisions.
A) Cohabitation
B) Active listening
C) Collaboration
D) Cohesion
44. _____________ is characterized by “striking a deal” with God, science, or anyone
parents believe may be able to help their child.
A) Rationalizing
B) Bargaining
C) Acceptance
D) Adjustment
45. _____________ is characterized by a state of mind in which a deliberate effort is made to
recognize, understand, and resolve problems.
A) Rationalizing
B) Bargaining
C) Acceptance
D) Adjustment
46. Bronfenbrenner’s _________________ provided a foundation for family systems theory.
A) Environmental influences theory
B) Ecological thinking
C) Family cycle
D) Family interaction
47. _____________ are the features that make a family unique.
A) Cultural background
B) Geographic location
C) Family size
D) All of the above
48. The time period (mid-1940s to early 1970s) is characterized by_________ according to
Freidson (1970).
A) Professional dominance
B) Antagonism
C) Working partnerships
D) Parental involvement
49. The idea of a collaborative partnership between home and school is in concert with the
theorizing of___________.
A) Turnbull
B) Bettelheim
C) Bronfenbrenner
D) Soodak and Shogren
50. The relationships and interactions among and between family subsystems are
A) Adaptability
B) Family functions
C) Family life cycle
D) Family interactions
51. The implementation of _________ and PL 101-476 signaled a change in the status of
parent-professional relationships.
A) PL 94-132
B) Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
C) PL 99-457
D) Americans with Disabilities Act
52. During the eugenics movement, the actions and attitudes of both professionals and
parents resulted in establishing
A) Collaborative partnerships
B) Child advocacy teams
C) Barriers and unfavorable working atmosphere
D) A systematic approach for writing IEPs
53. Chaotic families are characterized by all of the following except
A) Constant change and instability
B) Often no family leader
C) At least one family member has a disability
D) Existing rules are frequently altered
54. _________ can easily develop into __________, especially if the typical sibling perceives
that he or she has lost “favor” with the parents.
A) Hostility, guilt
B) Resentment, jeopardy
C) Grief, fear
D) Jealousy, hostility