The second component of the Family System’s Theory is family Interactions. A family has internal boundaries that define how family members relate to each other. These are subsystems based on generation, sex, interests, etc.

These subsystems include the following:

• Marital
• parental (parent-child)
• sibling (child-child)
• extended family (nuclear family, friends and neighbors, community, services received from professionals).

A family system contains a number of subsystems which create internal boundaries. The subsystems could consist, for instance, of those members who belong to the same generation (such as the children) or the same sex (the men of the family) or those who have the same interests or functions. Obviously, one individual might belong to more than one subsystem. Over a period of time, rules develop about how the subsystems interact with each other, who is included in the subsystems, and how each member participates. In other words, a kind of boundary exists that defines the relationship between and among the subsystems.

For example, in most families the parental subsystem, be it two parents or one, will establish itself as being “in charge” of the sibling subsystem. The boundaries and rules are distinct and clear. The parent or parents may interact frequently and informally with the children, or they may be somewhat remote and formal. In some families, the interaction can be so free and open that the boundaries become blurred, and roles become confusing. In some families, the rules of interaction can tend to be so rigid that people become distant and alienated. They are not there to support each other.

People in family groups arrange themselves according to closeness and distance patterns. Aponte (1976) has written that “a family that has developed successfully will have a dependable, differentiated, and flexible system of structural alignments. Each family member will have other members on whom he or she can count to carry out family-related operations.”  Alignments develop between and among the individuals in a family in order to carry out tasks, developmental or otherwise, and to meet emotional needs. These alignments can shift over time, but in most families there are predictable, reliable patterns of relationships. This provides the members with dependable sources of support and nurturance. Again, there can be wide variations from family to family as to the nature and quality of these patterns. They depend in large part on such things as cultural or ethnic background, family traditions, and values.

Who is included in the subsystems can be an important issue. Sometimes a child, or perhaps a grandparent, is included in the parenting subsystem. This may be the result of circumstances – such as both parents working, or a single parent who works or needs help with parenting. It could be the cultural norm. There is nothing inherently problematic about this kind of subsystem, so long as expectations and arrangements are clear to everyone in the family.

How each family interacts depends in part on the degree of cohesion and adaptability in interactions.

Cohesion: is an emotional bonding that holds families together. It determines the degree of freedom and independence experienced by each member of the family unit (Gargiulo and Kilgo p. 59).

Adaptability is the family’s ability to change its power structure, role relationship and rules in response to crises or stressful events occurring over a life time (Gargiulo and Kilgo p. 59).

Having children with special needs in the family unit requires of a cohesive approach. The family most likely will need to work as a unit to be able to navigate through Early Intervention Services, or thorough the referral and identification process, the IFSP and / or IEP, and for inclusion and advocacy among many other factors.

A family having children with special needs requires adaptability in many ways. Family roles may change, family routines may change as well. Some families with flexibility may adjust easier to new roles and routines while some other families may seem chaotic as they may require more time and transition period to adapt.