Taxonomy of family life styles: II. Homes with slow-learning children

A battery of instruments dealing with family social environment and family and child characteristics and behavior was administered to 218 families with slow-learning children in EMR and educably handicapped programs. Cluster analysis was performed on family environment variables. Seven unique family clusters, each with distinctive patterns of characteristics, were identified: child-oriented, cohesive; learning-oriented, high residential quality; low disclosure, unharmonious; disadvantaged, noncohesive; achievement-oriented, low residential quality; expression-oriented with few sociocultural interests; and outerdirected with little achievement-orientation. Comparisons among the clusters and ethnographic/interviewer observations revealed significant differences in other family and child characteristics and behavior. Development of a classification system for families with retarded children was discussed.