The Organization of the Family System with a Child with Intellectual Disability

Abstract The birth of a child with a disability demands the organization of the family system, whether from an individual or group perspective. Objective: to analyze the organization of the family system when faced with the birth of a child with intellectual disability. Method: a multiple-case study with parents of five families living in the Federal District, Brazil. Instruments: Sociodemographic Inventory and semistructured interview. Data analysis: lexical analysis using the Interface de R pour les Analyses Multidimensionnelles de Textes et de Questionnaires (IRaMuTeQ). Results: five categories of routine, future, facing the situation, and feelings were formed. Conclusion: Faced with the overload of care, associated with gender roles, parents need strategies to deal with changes in the family structure and dynamics.