Resources

TASP has gathered some important resources to help parents with intellectual disabilities and the practitioners supporting them.

Healthy Start
A national (Australia) capacity building strategy which aims to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for children whose parents have learning difficulties.

Raising Children
The Australian Parenting Website includes a section called Parenting in Pictures which we find handy for working with parents with ID.

University of Sydney’s Australian Family and Disability Studies Research Collaboration
Includes information & research on parents with Intellectual Disability (ID).

Parenting Research Center
Australia’s only independent non-profit research and development organization with an exclusive focus on parenting, they are dedicated to gathering scientific knowledge of effective parenting and developing practical programs to help parents raise happy healthy children.

The Arc
The Arc is the largest national community-based organization advocating for and serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

• Read The Arc’s Position Statement on Parents with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
• Learn about The Arc’s National Council of Self Advocates (NCSA), which will allow individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) across the country to join a network of leaders representing the full spectrum of ages and abilities, giving them a chance to support each other and provide learning opportunities as they grow as advocates in their communities.

Through the Looking Glass
TLG is a nationally recognized center that has pioneered research, training, and services for families in which a child, parent or grandparent has a disability or medical issue.

Parents with Developmental Disabilities
Resource for valuable information on Developmental Disabilities. We provide training, curricular information, and other general information on Developmental Disabilities.

How to Plan (& Provide) for a Child with Special Needs

Nobody likes to attach a dollar amount to the joys of raising a child, but the fact remains that it can be quite expensive. This is especially true when it comes to raising a child with special needs. In fact, one study funded by Autism Speaks estimated the average lifetime cost to be $1.4 million for a person affected by autism. And that’s to say nothing of the other forms of special needs, which can include blindness, Down syndrome and … Continue reading

Simple Home Fixes to Ease Parenting With Disabilities

Parenting with Disabilities: A Guide to Home Modifications

 

Publications & Articles

Guardianships

A report by the National Council on Disability

A national in-depth report on guardianships and alternatives through supported decision-making

Social Connectedness of Mothers with ID
A study by David McConnell, PhD; Maurice Feldman, PhD; Marjorie Aunos, PhD and Laura Pacheco, MSW
The social connectedness afforded by ongoing (SLP/ Self Advocacy) group membership may be especially important to mothers with intellectual impairment. Once the mothers with intellectual impairment who took part in the Supported Learning Program discovered that they were not alone, and would not be judged (i.e., it was safe), participating in the group phase gave them something to look forward to each week, opportunities to learn and support others, and the feeling of “being a part of society”.

United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
United Nations
Article 23, “Respect for Home and the Family,” Obligation 4 states that “Parties shall ensure that a child shall not be separated from his or her parent against their will, except when competent authorities subject to judicial review determine, in accordance with applicable laws and procedures, that such separation is necessary for the best interests of the child. In no case shall a child be separated from parents on the basis of a disability of either the child or one or both of the parents.”

Fall 2013 CW360°—The Intersection of Child Welfare and Disability: Focus on Parents
Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare, University of Minnesota
The Fall 2013 issue of CW360° continues the exploration of the intersection of child welfare and disability, focusing on the experiences of parents with disabilities and mental illness in the child welfare system.

Spring 2013 CW360°—The Intersection of Child Welfare and Disability: Focus on Children
Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare, University of Minnesota
The Spring 2013 issue of CW360° is dedicated to exploring the issues of children with disabilities in the child welfare system, a population that is overrepresented in child welfare.

A Chance to Parent
Lindsay Brillhart, Susan Yuan, & Elizabeth Lightfoot. Exceptional Parent, 42(2), 39-41. February 2012

New Ways of Thinking About Parents with Intellectual Disabilities
Bernadette Irwin. Article found on p. 32 of Fager, S., Hancox, D., Ely, C., Stenhjem, P., & Gaylord, V. (Eds.). (Spring/Summer 2010). Impact: Feature Issue on Sexuality and People with Intellectual, Developmental and Other Disabilities, 23(2). Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, Institute on Community Integration.
Parenting as a right for individuals with intellectual disabilities is a relatively new concept. In the last 40 years, there has been a paradigm shift in attitudes and practices toward individuals with intellectual disabilities who desire to be parents.

Caregiver Cognitive Impairment: A Secondary Analysis of the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS-2003)—2009/10
David McConnell, Maurice Feldman, Marjorie Aunos, & Narasimha Prasad. Family & Disability Studies, University of Alberta

Can an Intellectually Disabled Mom Raise a Gifted Daughter?
Alexandra Rockey Fleming, ‘Mommy Is Always There for Me.’ People Magazine, 10/05/2009.

Events & Videos

Prevention: Supporting Parents with Developmental Disabilities
Interviews with parent.

Building a National Agenda for Supporting Families with a Member with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Held March 6-8, 2011, at the Wingspread Conference Center in Racine, WI. Conference Sponsors: The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread & The Administration on Developmental Disabilities
To provide direction and guidance to building a national agenda for supporting families with a member with intellectual and developmental disabilities, a group of diverse national and state disability leaders met and developed recommendations on the types of supports families need.

The Intersection of Child Welfare & Disability
Held May 7, 2013, at the McNamara Alumni Center in Minneapolis, MN. Conference Sponsor: Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare
Focusing on children with disabilities and parents with disabilities in child welfare, these archived conference videos feature presentations from Dr. Dick Sobsey, Dr. Traci LaLiberte, and Dr. Liz Lightfoot, as well as two panel presentations featuring perspectives from the field.

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