Supporting children of parents with intellectual disability: A scoping review

Abstract

Background Parents with intellectual disability live normal lives and have children, but many of them lose custody of their children. However, little is known about the support, if any, that these children receive. Here, the present authors review the literature on the help and support given to children of parents with intellectual disability. Method A scoping review of peer‐reviewed and grey literature was conducted, covering 1997 to November 2017. Results Thirteen publications were identified. The children benefited from help and support received through informal networks. They also benefited from formal support if it focused on the children's needs and interests. Conclusions The review shows that even though support from informal networks might be an influential factor in supporting children, there is a need for more research addressing the formal support these children receive and how they benefit from it.

Motherhood and intellectual disability in Spain: Experienced difficulties and shared desires for change

“…This assessment restricted the decision‐making of these mothers and their possibilities to upbring their children. As other researchers have pointed out, the challenges experienced by mothers with intellectual disabilities are not only shaped by complex needs related to being poor, socially isolated or unemployed, having housing problems, poor health and high levels of stress (Baum & Burns, 2007; Hindmarsh et al, 2015), but also by needing supports (Feldman et al, 2002; Gudkova et al, 2019).…”

“…Despite being varied across countries, there is a general lack of research on the functioning of public or private services that support mothers with intellectual disabilities (Gudkova et al, 2019; Lightfoot & DeZelar, 2020), formal supports that assist women as mothers seem to be limited and focused on training personal caregiving skills rather than on encouraging contextual or community support. In the words of Lightfoot and DeZelar (2020), programmes that increase parenting skills are important for anyone, but it is critical to emphasise ‘the role developing or enlisting broader family and community support to assist parents with disabilities in their parenting’ (p. 1).…”

A Case Report of Failure to Thrive Caused by Parental Intellectual Disability: The Invisible Population

“…Their children should be provided with diverse types of informal support, especially from other family members and relatives, while formal support can be augmented through the guidance and supervision offered by social workers and welfare staff. 9) Additionally, medical advice should be available to family members to It is also important to encourage extended family members to monitor individuals with intellectual disability while encouraging them to seek help for their social, emotional, financial, and interpersonal problems, the mitigation of which could reduce the incidence of psychosocial failure to thrive. 10) The numerous challenges encountered by parents with intellectual disability raise the question of whether the parents in this specific case report were qualified to retain their parental rights.…”