The article "Children born with disabilities: how families respond", by Marlene Ritchie tells of two different families who have children with disabilities. The article tells how both families realized that their children had disabilities and what they felt and experienced after discovering these disabilities. Throughout this critique, I will talk about the different coping mechanisms that families may have. I will also talk about both children in my article and how their families dealt with their disabilities. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Many families have different ways of coping with or responding to a disability. Some families will give up because their child is unable to care for a child with disabilities or defects, while other parents will try to provide their child with all the care they need to survive with their disability. There are usually several common responses in families, these are four that are thought to be common. The first is to give up the child because families cannot or do not want to care for a child with disabilities. Now, most of the time it's because the family doesn't have the funds to care for the child. The second is that parents will try to do everything they can to care for their child and will support them with whatever needs they may have. The third is to accept the child, but not be able to cope with his disabilities. This usually leads to the child being neglected or rejected by the family. The fourth is for parents to accept the child and learn to cope with his disability and be able to understand how to help their child with everything they need. The first daughter is Jessica, born 6 weeks premature. When a baby is born this early, their lungs are not fully developed, so oxygen is needed until the lungs develop properly. Unfortunately, due to the incompetence of the attending physician, oxygen was not prepared and Jessica was unable to receive the proper care she needed as she was a newborn. Jessica's parents don't know if this is why Jessica has cerebral palsy and aphasia (cerebral palsy is a disorder that affects muscle tone, movement, and motor skills. Aphasia is a communication disorder that affects the brain's ability to use and understand language.) Because of this, Jessica was unable to sit or stand at her usual age. At the age of eighteen months, Jessica's parents went to the Ontario Crippled Children Center to meet with another doctor. The doctor said they should put Jessica in an institution so they wouldn't have to deal with a child with so many disabilities. Even though Jessica has disabilities, her parents care for her and take care of her as best they can. Even after Jessica's mother was diagnosed with colon cancer and Jessica's father had a massive heart attack, both of her parents still do everything they can to care for her. In Jessica's case study, both her mother and father did everything they could to keep her happy and healthy. Before or after her father's heart attack and her mother's diagnosis (she doesn't really say), they moved to Toronto so that Jessica would have affordable use of wheeled transportation so she could become more independent. They also put her in a foster home where she stays half the week, so when the time comes she will be used to being there and won't miss her family as much. Despite her disability, her parents still love her with all their heart.