This thesis examines the experiences of parents who are raising their adopted children who
have Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE). Four married couples, and one single mother, who married
after she had raised her sons participated in this study. All are white and middle or upper-middle class. Five adoptive mothers and one adoptive father were interviewed, while their spouses contributed to the study by reviewing the interview transcripts, and discussing issues raised within them. Eight children with diagnosed or suspected FAE are discussed. They are Cree or
Saulteaux, and are between the ages of nine and 23 . Through multiple in-depth interviews, and the demographic profile form, richly detailed information was recorded on these families' day-to-day lives: the children's school experiences, learning disabilities and behaviour problems, their strengths, their health and interactions with peers; parents' interactions with professionals, treatments and behaviour management strategies they sought or devised, their use of support groups and other forms of social support and encounters with the criminal justice and mental health systems. <p>
Grounded theory methodology was used to analyse the data and a conceptual model was
constructed to outline the process of redefining parenting which describes the practical and
psychological tasks parents perform as the family evolves over time. A central role is taken by the
mothers who become advocates for their children as they undertake a quest for the meaning of their children's behaviour, seek a diagnosis, and try to secure services for them. It was found that people with FAE are misunderstood and misdiagnosed because of their anomalous nature, which often leads to stigmatisation. This thesis attempts to dispel these misconceptions, document the parents' and children's struggles, and identify the types of services these families desperately need.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:SSU.etd-03112008-125553 |
| Date | 15 July 2008 |
| Creators | Burgan, Kathryn |
| Contributors | McMullen, Linda, Marino, Mary, Green, Kathryn, Ervin, Alexander M. (Sandy), Walker, Ernest G. |
| Publisher | University of Saskatchewan |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://library.usask.ca/theses/available/etd-03112008-125553/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Saskatchewan or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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