The Gardner’s Developmental Stage According to Duvall, the Gardner family is currently in the “families with adolescents” life cycle stage. During this time, the major task of the parents is to develop boundaries for the children and increase their flexibility in regards to their children’s autonomy (Kaakinin et al, 2015). The Gardner family is struggling with this transition because Elsa has a hard time giving Sam independence. She is resistant to his newfound interest in new things such as dating, changing his clothing style, and having a job. The family is going to need to negotiate new boundaries and goals that keep Sam safe and stable but allow him to explore independence and adulthood.
Challenges ● Doug has diffuclty talking to people about his son’s autism and bonding with Sam ● Casey and Doug do not receive adequate time or attention from Elsa, who spends all her energy on Sam ● Elsa does not give Sam room to grow and throws herself into a crisis when he enters the dating world and wants autonomy ● Elsa and Doug have deep rooted problems in their marriage because of Doug leaving the family, which creates ongoing trust issues and Elsa’s affair
Strengths ● Casey protects Sam and does anything she can to help him live a normal life ● Doug is supportive to Casey’s track star dreams (he runs with her weekly, attends her events, etc), Sam’s interest in dating (gives Sam advice and assists him in dating issues he comes across), and Elsa in making new friends (he encourages her to take dance classes) ● Elsa is a stay-at-home mom which allows her to dedicate herself to her family and Sam’s care, she is also involved in their school and attends group support therapy ● Each member has good stress coping strategies