Search results for ‘Subject term:"learning disabilities"’ Sort:
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Effective support for parents with a learning disability and their children: seminar held at National Children's Bureau, 7 December 2007
- Author:
- NATIONAL CHILDREN'S BUREAU
- Publisher:
- National Children's Bureau
- Publication year:
- 2008
- Pagination:
- 19p.
- Place of publication:
- London
NCB Social Inclusion Department seminar notes More and more people with a learning disability are choosing to become parents yet between 40-60% of them will at some stage have their children taken away from them.
Time use of parents raising children with severe or profound intellectual and multiple disabilities
- Authors:
- LUIJKX J., PUTTEN A.A.J. van der, VLASKAMP C.
- Journal article citation:
- Child: Care, Health and Development, 43(4), 2017, pp.518-526.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Background: Raising children with severe or profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) is expected to put extreme pressure on parental time use patterns. The aim of this study was to examine the total time use of mothers and fathers raising children with PIMD and compare it with the time use of parents of typically developing children. Method: Twenty-seven fathers and 30 mothers raising children with PIMD completed a time use diary on a mobile phone or tablet app, as did 66 fathers and 109 mothers of typically developing children. Independent t-tests and Mann–Whitney tests were performed to compare mean time use. Results: There are no differences in the time use of parents of children with PIMD on contracted time (paid work and educational activities) and necessary time (personal care, eating and drinking and sleeping) when compared with parents of typically developing children. There are significant differences between the parents of children with PIMD and the parents of typically developing children in terms of committed time (time for domestic work and the care and supervision of their children) and free time. The mothers of children with PIMD spend significantly less time on domestic work and more time on care and supervision than mothers of typically developing children. Conclusions: This study shows that the parents of children with PIMD have to spend a significant amount of time on care tasks and have on average 1.5 h less free time per day than parents of typically developing children. This is a striking difference, because leisure time can substantially contribute to well-being. Therefore, it is important not only to consider a child with PIMD's support needs but also to identify what parents need to continue their children's daily care and supervision. (Publisher abstract)
A qualitative investigation into the experiences of having a parent with a learning disability
- Authors:
- HEWITT Olivia, CLARKE Angela T.
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 44 (4), 2016, pp.292-300.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Background: More people with a learning disability are becoming parents. Little is known about the lived experiences of the children who have a parent with a learning disability. Methods: This study uses interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to understand the lived experiences of people who have a parent with a learning disability. Five people who have a parent with a learning disability were asked about their experiences of being parented and their childhood more generally. Results: Four themes emerged from the interviews: 1) ‘Fitting in’ within the wider family system, 2) The parental relationship and the impact of disability, 3) A difficult childhood and 4) Resilience. Conclusions: These findings are compared with the existing literature, and similarities and emerging findings are noted. Implications for services when supporting families with a parent who has a learning disability are discussed. Additional ideas about areas that require additional research are identified. (Publisher abstract)
The changing face of the ‘good mother’: trends in research into families with a child with intellectual disability, and some concerns
- Author:
- KNIGHT Kathryn
- Journal article citation:
- Disability and Society, 28(5), 2013, pp.660-673.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This article reviews changing perspectives in recent social science research into families of children with intellectual disability. These latest trends emphasise family resilience, adaptation, and transformation, with the focus predominantly on mothers and their ability to psychologically adjust to their caring challenges. A concern is that by concentrating on the adaptive strategies of mothers, researchers risk minimising the socio-political dimensions of this experience. The theme of the ‘good mother’ figures strongly in this research, linked to the limiting socio-cultural narratives available to mothers of children with intellectual disability that, it is argued, may condone their continuing marginalisation. (Publisher abstract)
Psychological acceptance mediates the impact of the behaviour problems of children with intellectual disability on fathers' psychological adjustment
- Authors:
- MACDONALD Elaine E., HASTINGS Richard P., TITZSIMONS Elaine
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 23(1), January 2010, pp.27-37.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Ninety-nine fathers of 67 boys and 32 girls with intellectual disability, between 6 and 18 years of age, participated in a questionnaire study. Psychological acceptance of difficult/negative emotions and thoughts associated with interactions with the child with intellectual disability were measured alongside ratings of the child's behaviour problems and paternal negative (stress, anxiety, depression) and positive ('positive gain') well-being. Psychological acceptance was found to partially mediate the impact of child behaviour problems on paternal stress, anxiety, and depression. Acceptance was also a positive predictor of fathers' perceptions of positive gain associated with raising their child with intellectual disability. However, it could not function as a potential mediator of positive gain in the present research because fathers' ratings of their child's behaviour problems were not associated with paternal positive gain. Implications for practice include the potential of acceptance-based interventions, and other psychological interventions targeting acceptance and avoidance processes (e.g. mindfulness-based approaches), to positively affect paternal psychological adjustment.
Are parents identifying positive aspects to parenting their child with an intellectual disability or are they just coping? A qualitative exploration
- Authors:
- BEIGHTON Carole, WILLS Jane
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 21(4), 2017, pp.325-345.
- Publisher:
- Sage
- Place of publication:
- London
Although acknowledging the stress of raising their child with intellectual disabilities, parents also report that their child has brought about many positive changes in themselves and family. This study reports what parents perceive to be a positive aspect of parenting their child, as currently what constitutes a ‘positive’ is unclear. Seven key themes were identified; an increased sense of personal strength and confidence, changed priorities, greater appreciation of life, pleasure in the child’s accomplishments, increased faith/spirituality, more meaningful relationships and the positive effect that the child has on the wider community. Interpretive examination of the themes reveals that the positive aspects identified consist mostly of meaning-focused coping strategies. These enable parents to adapt successfully to the stressful experiences of raising their child and therefore could be amenable to meaning-focused therapeutic interventions for parents with newly diagnosed children or for those unable to identify any positive aspects of parenting their child. (Publisher abstract)
Attributions of stability, control and responsibility: how parents of children with intellectual disabilities view their child's problematic behaviour and its causes
- Authors:
- JACOBS Myrthe, WOOLFSON Lisa Marks, HUNTER Simon C.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 29(1), 2016, pp.58-70.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Background: Children with intellectual disabilities have high rates of behaviour problems. This study explored parents’ causal beliefs and attributions for general problematic child behaviour in children with different aetiologies of intellectual disabilities. Materials and Methods: Ten parents of children with intellectual disabilities participated in interviews about their child's problematic behaviour. Results: Thematic analysis using NVivo revealed that parents viewed their child's problematic behaviour not only as caused by the child's intellectual disabilities but also by other causes unrelated to the intellectual disabilities, as well as by aspects of the social environmental context. Some causes were viewed as stable and uncontrollable and others as unstable and controllable. In addition, parents showed a strong sense of responsibility for child behaviour. Conclusions: Parents of children with intellectual disabilities do not solely interpret their child's problematic behaviour through the intellectual disabilities but incorporate the environment and causes and attributions that are not related to the intellectual disabilities, which may help to promote more effective parenting. (Publisher abstract)
Developing outcome measures for a family intensive support service for children presenting with challenging behaviours
- Authors:
- MULLIGAN Bethany, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 43(3), 2015, pp.161-167.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Seven per cent of individuals with learning disabilities also display challenging behaviour, which has an effect on the whole family. This is a retrospective pre- and post- evaluation study examining the utility of specific outcome measures assessing the effectiveness of interventions addressing behavioural problems within a Family Intensive Support Service (FISS). After one year, FISS successfully reduced problematic behaviours and increased a sense of coping and ability to manage the behaviour for parents. The outcome measures used were sensitive enough to show change on specific subscales of the measure. Further research is needed to look at whether there is a need to create a new measure encapsulating the best elements of these measures. (Edited publisher abstract)
Parental experiences of caring for a child with intellectual disabilities: a UK perspective
- Author:
- WILLINGHAM-STORR Gemma Louise
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 18(2), 2014, pp.146-158.
- Publisher:
- Sage
- Place of publication:
- London
A structured literature search and thematic analysis of six research articles relating to stress and parenting of a child with an intellectual disability in the United Kingdom identified four key themes: impact upon families, service provision and support networks, coping and transition. The findings identified that parenting a child with an intellectual disability is not always a negative role; it is a role that parents find both rewarding and empowering. However, the findings of the literature review primarily related to mothers of children with an intellectual disability with very little focus on the experiences of fathers. (Publisher abstract)
Stress and resilience for parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities: a review of key factors and recommendations for practitioners
- Authors:
- PEER Justin W., HILLMAN Stephen B.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 11(2), 2014, pp.92-98.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Parents of children with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities experience more stress in comparison to parents of normally developing children. Chronic stress could negatively influence parents' health while also impacting their ability to meet their child's needs. Despite this, there is a subset of parents who remain resilient in the face of significant stress in their lives. Knowledge of the factors that promote parental resilience could positively impact the services these families receive. The authors conducted a systematic review of research article databases and found support for coping style, optimism, and social support as resilience factors for parents of children with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. Awareness of variables that promote resilience for parents of children with intellectual and/or development disabilities is likely to inform clinical practice through offering new avenues for clinical focus in all phases of family-centered care. (Publisher abstract)