Toolkits for use in your work with parents with IDD.

Mental Health Toolkit: A toolkit for providers and therapists working with parents with IDD
About the MH Toolkit

The contents of this tool kit is designed as a resource to assist programs and professionals working directly with parents with IDD who have mental health challenges.  With over 50 pages of original content, including learning and activities, it provides a roadmap for the providers/therapists to make reasonable accommodations in the services they provide, assuring that parents with IDD will receive the same benefit from the service as “non disabled” parents would receive (Americans with Disability Act, 1990).

The aim of this tool kit is to support the provider/therapist in his/her work with parents with IDD. The content is informative and encourages creative application of generally accepted approaches to mental health treatment. It is not exhaustive in presenting evidence-based approaches that have proven successful when working with parents with IDD but is illustrative of how common practices may be used or modified for use with this population that is often underserved by the mental health community. Additional accommodations and nuances of application of the content of this tool kit may need to be made with diverse groups of parents with IDD. We encourage providers/therapist to approach such diverse groups with cultural humility and curiosity.

We value parent-professional partnerships to encourage exchange of information, mutual respect and understanding. We encourage you to apply this information to the parents with IDD in your professional practice and to introduce this information to your team and staff. It is intended to support the work of new staff and seasoned professionals.