Project Description:
The basis for health and well-being are established early on in the life of an infant or young child. Like all parents with young children under the age of five, parents with ID can benefit from support at this critical period in their childs development. However, this support may be less available for those most vulnerable, such as parents with intellectual disabilities. Families headed by parents with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) face a number of challenges including high rates of child removal, poverty and social isolation, and multiple service agencies that have few structures in place to provide effective cross-service responses and, are often poorly equipped to meet the parents special learning needs. Further, the literature reveals that many parents with ID have gaps in basic knowledge of parenting and child rearing; and do benefit from in-home education and supportive services that increase their parenting skills and knowledge related to: (a) physical care and safety of young children, (b) nurturance and parent- child interactions, (c) creating learning experiences, (d) child health and wellness, (e) child development and appropriate expectations, (f) interpreting and responding to non-verbal and verbal communication, and (g) parenting behaviors. With respect to referrals to Child and Family Service Administration (CFSA), parents with ID provoke concern and attract (often negative) attention, and are under heightened scrutiny due to their limitations in executive functioning and adaptive behaviors and a combination of biased perceptions and expectations on the part of providers and professionals. In many cases, negative determinations are based solely upon the parents disability, without the benefit of assessment of the parents actual parenting skills; and does not take into consideration contextual and environmental risk factors such as economic instability, unsafe and inadequate housing in low income neighborhoods, chronically poor parent health, including higher than normal population levels for depression, anxiety and stress, social isolation and unequal access to health, education and social services. While a variety of evidence-based home visiting (EBHV)models have shown promising impacts with persons with ID, most home visiting programs have not been developed and structured to respond to the learning needs and approaches for adults with ID. The Parenting Support Program (PSP) has a number of goals to: (1) deliver evidence-based curricula that focus on early childhood growth and development, health, wellness, and safety; (2) screen caregivers for psycho-social risk factors that may compromise effective parenting; (3) make referrals to community-based agencies for parents whose screening identifies an area of concern; (4) directly support caregivers who are experiencing challenges to their parenting; and (5) reduce the need for referrals to CFSA for these families. Anticipated benefits of the PSP include: early identification and referral to services for children with positive screens, reduction in referrals to CFSA, reunification of children removed from parents with ID, and increased linkages to community services and supports. The most critical benefit of PSP will be enhanced understanding of child development, increased parenting skills leading to greater independence and self-determination.
Area of Emphasis
Education & Early Intervention, Child Care-Related Activities, Health-Related Activities, Housing-Related Activities, Quality of Life, Other
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances, Limited English, Specific Groups
