How bringing a TASP training to your organization can kickstart change for parents with IDD

June 2, 2022

How bringing a TASP training to your organization can kickstart change for parents with IDD

Written By Chelsea Tighe

Being a parent is a fundamental right and many people with disabilities choose to become parents.  Current research reveals that there are 4.1 million parents with disabilities in the United States, roughly 6.2 percent of all Americans (Powell, R.M., Parish, S.L., & Akobirshoev, I., 2017).

While the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) serves to protect parents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), they remain the only distinct community of Americans who must struggle to retain custody of their children.  As a member of the general population, you have less than a 1% chance of having your child removed from your care by Child Welfare, yet removal rates where the parent has an intellectual disability is a staggering 40-80% (Rocking the Cradle, 2012).   Yes, you read that correctly.  40-80%.  Let that sink in and think about what parents with IDD are up against, based on nothing more than the perception that they cannot parent because they have a cognitive disability (Booth & Booth, 2004).

We know from research that the ability of a parent to provide adequate care is not predictable based on intelligence alone (Feldman, 2011), and many parents with cognitive delays do well as parents with appropriate supports in place (Feldman, 2011).  That’s where TASP can help.  The Association for Successful Parenting (TASP) is a leading nonprofit committed to successfully supporting families when parents have learning difficulties.  With a focus on training, education, and advocacy, TASP works to build the capacity of professionals, communities, and families to support parents with learning difficulties.  TASP brings together some of the most knowledgeable and committed professionals and self-advocates in the field of supported parenting to help professionals and self-advocates make a difference so that everyone has a chance to parent.

But why should you bring a TASP training to your organization?  How can it help?  How can it kickstart change for parents with IDD?  Knowledge is power, and those working with families must have information and knowledge about the challenges parents with IDD face in child welfare cases, in life, and in many service sectors, and ways to accommodate services and supports to meet their needs.  Reasonable accommodations are not only required by law, but simply a fundamental human right to give parents a fair chance to stay an intact family.  When providers are aware of both the law, and how to make simple reasonable accommodations, it can help prevent unnecessary removals of children from parents with disabilities and keep families together.  When this happens, everyone wins.

TASP makes training easy to access, as all trainings are offered online, in a live interactive learning environment.  They are cost-effective for training a large or small group and are created to enhance professionals’ skills in working with parents with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  Best of all, it’s all live and online in a virtual platform with professionals in the field.  You get real-time learning, with lots of interaction (because we know Zoom can get tiring), and access to peers, colleagues, and knowledgeable professionals.  So, you get live training, but without needing to be all together in one space.  This makes it accessible to the largest number of people, while keeping costs down.

Also, did we mention Social Work CEUs are available?

We want to help you implement change at your agency, so all parents have a chance to parent.  Be part of kickstarting that change!

Want to find out more about our trainings?  Look at our website HERE.   Don’t see something that suits your needs?  We can create something that works specifically for your group.   Email us HERE, and let’s talk about how your employees can enhance their skills inworking with parents with IDD to improve outcomes for parents, children, and families.

What people are saying:

• “I learned how to accommodate more people on a deeper level”
• “I will use the information daily with the families I serve and within my own household!”
• “I loved the learning styles reminder and the safety checklists and materials!”
• “Loved this training! Thank you everyone!”
• “A very effective training for professionals with a wide array of experiences.”
• “There is something to take away for everyone; whether you have little experience with parents with ID or have been doing the work for years. “