Can people with intellectual disabilities be parents?
Contrary to what many people think, people with intellectual dis- abilities can be good parents. As with parents without disabilities, the ability to parent successfully depends on a wide range of factors. Grayson (2000) reviewed studies attempting to identify factors contributing to successful parenting.
How can I help my parents with intellectual disabilities?
Parents with an intellectual disability who need support can contact a disability advocate or an NDIS local area coordinator. A disability advocate is someone who can help parents say what they want for their families. They can also help parents find and understand information about supports and services.
Can people with intellectual disability raise children?
Parents with intellectual disabilities can and have raised children well. Sometimes parents with intellectual disabilities may need more support in some areas than parents without intellectual disabilities, but that is different from declaring that no parent with an intellectual disability can raise a child.
What is parents intellectual disability?
What is an Intellectual Disability? Intellectual disability is a term used when a person has certain limitations in mental functioning and in skills such as communicating, taking care of him or herself, and social skills. These limitations will cause a child to learn and develop more slowly than a typical child.
Does intellectual disability run in families?
Each time we have a child, we randomly pass on one copy of each gene. Therefore, each child born to a parent with dominant form of ID has a 50:50 chance of inheriting the dominant gene and thus, having an intellectual disability.
What factors may impact on parents with learning difficulties ability to parent?
Parents with a learning disability are often affected by poverty, social isolation, stress, mental health problems, low literacy and communication difficulties.
What challenges face the parents of a child with a disability?
Among the many challenges are:
- Learning about the disability.
- Researching, locating and accessing effective treatments and resources.
- Coping with the emotional and physical demands of caring for an individual with a disability.
How heritable is intellectual disability?
Intellectual disability (ID) is present in almost 3% of children and fundamentally characterized by IQ scores below 70. Genetic research has shown that it is among the most heritable traits, and it has been accepted that ID is the extreme low of the normal IQ distribution.
What is the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability?
Fragile X is the most common known cause of inherited (genetic) intellectual disability. It affects both males and females, but because the affected gene is on the X chromosome, males are more frequently and severely affected than females.
How does intellectual disability affect parents?
Research on Mothers The majority of this research has involved maternal well-being with a consensus that raising a child with intellectual disabilities increases stress levels, negatively affects family functioning, and increases depression. These findings are increased if the child has coexisting behavioral problems.
