NOTIONS REGARDING FUTURE FAMILY AMONG ADOLESCENTS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES

Abstract

This article delves into the examination of the peculiarities surrounding the notions of family and marital relations as well as the prospective family perceptions held by adolescents with intellectual disabilities. Research findings indicate that perceptions of the future family significantly impact the successful resolution of individual familial issues, particularly conflicts, and the development of real social and marital relations. It is determined that notions about the future family encompass a comprehensive array of imaginatively reconstituted images that reflect characteristic attributes of the future family, potential spouses, and children, as well as the nature of interpersonal dynamics and distinctive features of familial life organization. It is established that one of the fundamental functions of educational institutions is to equip the youth with the necessary competencies for various facets of independent living, encompassing familial contexts. Contemporary scholarly investigations underscore the imperative of implementing specialized interventions and enlisting experts to systematically cultivate future family conceptualizations within adolescents afflicted by intellectual disabilities. Through an analysis of acquired data, it becomes evident that the comprehension of the significance and substance of this concept among adolescents with intellectual disabilities is characterized by specificity, uniformity, and conciseness. These can be attributed, firstly, to the disruptions in cognitive development, primarily attributed to deficiencies in cognitive operations. Secondly, the difficulties encountered in providing comprehensive definitions are linked to the limited lexical repertoire of adolescents with intellectual disabilities, as their active vocabulary typically lacks elaborated expressions. Thirdly, owing to their age and a lack of substantial life experiences, adolescents with intellectual disabilities are constrained from affording an expansive characterization of the concept of "family." Lastly, in our perspective, a significant contributory factor lies in the absence of a comprehensive corrective and developmental framework geared towards preparing adolescents within this category for future familial life.