Grandparents' Involvement and Support in Families with Children with Disabilities

This study reviews recent literature related to grandparents' involvement and support for grandchildren with disabilities and their grandchildrens' family. The literature reveals that grandparents' initial reactions are similar to parents' reactions of shock, anger, and grief when they learn a grandchild has a disability. Over time, grandparents become involved in their grandchild's family system, providing practical and emotional support. Factors that influence grandparents' support and involvement include residential proximity, their level of understanding of their grandchild's disability, and the affective solidarity between them and their adult child who is the parent of the grandchild. Grandparents' support and involvement is promoted when they have access to accurate information regarding their grandchild's disability, experience good communication exists between them and their adult child, and when support groups or workshops are available to them in their community. A variety of unexplored areas are identified where additional and longitudinal research may yield new and interesting information regarding our understanding of factors that effect grandparents' involvement and support in families with children with disabilities.